Intricate
by iyoku-ishi
Summary: The worlds of Final Fantasy VII and Inuyasha have been combined by an error. Naraku takes this chance to trick Cloud and the others into helping him gather the jewel shards with Inuyasha. Gaining trust and gathering the Shikon Jewel isn't easy you know...
1. Combining

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Square soft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

This story is a crossover between the anime show Inuyasha and the Playstation video game Final Fantasy VII. This is the first long fan fiction I've attempted since my previous one was pretty much a one-shot. I'll have a few chapters up at once so that you can judge the story based on the first few chapters. Hope you enjoy reading it and please review at the end! Thanks.

P.S. Tessaiga is the Japanese way of spelling Inuyasha's sword. As in, Japanese-English, not the REAL Japanese.

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Chapter 1 - Combining

Something caught Kagura's eye below. She swooped down and landed lightly on the ground, her feather reverting to its normal size. She studied the thing in front of her. It was dark orange and black. Its head was shaped like a serpent's, with long narrow eyes and no visible ears. Its body, however, was big and scaly. Huge wings sprouted from its back, and a long spiked tail lashed out behind it. Kagura surveyed it. It looked like a dragon demon, but she could not sense any demonic aura. At Kagura's sudden incoming, the dragon demon had dropped something it had been holding. An object rolled to the base of Kagura's feet. She picked it up. It was small, round, and glowed bright slivery-white. It could've passed for a sacred jewel, if not for its bright silvery-white glow and its blinding light. The light intensified, and for a moment, Kagura could not see. Then the light subsided and the glow disappeared, leaving the jewel warm and silver in Kagura's palm. Kagura looked up. The demon was glaring at her, its fiery-red eyes boring into hers.

"Give it back," it rumbled. Kagura closed her palm around the jewel.

"What is it?" she asked, eyeing the demon. It opened its mouth to show all its razor-sharp teeth and took a step forward.

"It belongs to me," it said, ignoring Kagura's question. "Now give it back!" Kagura looked at the jewel. It must have power, seeing as it resembled the sacred jewel so much.

"I think I'll take it to Naraku," she thought. "After all, he _did_ want me to search for any interesting objects and bring them back to him." She smirked. "No. Since it resembles the sacred jewel so much, I'm going to take it back to my master. If you want it back, you can deal with him." The demon let out a roar of rage and sprung at Kagura. She was gone in a flash. Riding on her feather, she headed towards Naraku's castle. Then a powerful gust of wind came up from behind her and nearly blew her off course. She turned around on her feather. The huge beast was flying towards her. Its mouth was open and a beam of light was forming. "Oh no you won't," thought Kagura. She whipped out her fan. "Dance of Blades!" she cried, and many blades of light streaked through the air towards the dragon demon. Kagura was slightly shocked that the blades merely bounced off its hide. She drew her fan back again for her ultimate attack. "This will finish you off. DANCE OF THE DRAGON!" She smiled as the mini tornadoes made their way towards the demon. They would rip him to pieces.

The beast glanced at the tornadoes. They didn't seem too deadly, so he swept right through them. He winced slightly as the passed through them. They sapped a some of his life energy, but he was still full or energy. Some energy lost was nothing; he could heal easily with a potion. He flew towards the terrified Kagura. He would get that dimension materia. The stupid girl had no idea how much havoc it could create if broken. It was very fragile, and could break if dropped on anything hard. He reached out a clawed foot to tip the strange woman apart, but she seemed to had come to her senses and got out of the way just in time. All the dragon succeeded in doing was ripping the back of Kagura's kimono. He gnashed his teeth furiously and raced after the fleeing figure on the large white feather.

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"Wha…what's happening to me?" Cloud's body had frozen when he walked into the place where Aeris sat. Her head was bowed, her eyes staring blankly at her lap. Cloud's eyes widened. His arms suddenly lunged to his side and pulled out his huge sword. His hands gripped it tightly, shaking. He felt his arms lift, raising the sword to strike. The sword slowly rose over Aeris' head. It stopped, poised to strike.

"Kill her…" a voice said in his head. "Kill the girl…kill the girl…kill her…" Cloud's grip tightened on the sword. His eyes hardened. His face set, Cloud took a deep breath, then swung the sword down.

"CLOUD!" someone screamed. Cloud froze again, the sword millimeters above Aeris' head. "Cloud…what are you doing?" Cloud realized who the voice belonged to. Tifa Lockheart and Barret Wallace had burst directly into the scene. Cid Highwind, Yuffie Kisaragi, Red XIII, Cait Sith, and Vincent Valentine followed closely behind. "Cloud…" Tifa stepped forward and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. As if awakening from a dream, Cloud slowly lowered his sword. He looked up.

"…Tifa?" he said uncertainly. "What…?" He looked down at his hands. They were sweating from gripping the handle of his sword so tightly. Then he looked at Aeris, her head bowed, staring at the floor blankly. Her hands were formed in a prayer, and now he could see her lips moving. Comprehension suddenly dawned on his face. "I didn't…?"

"You had your sword above her head," Tifa said quietly.

"No…" Cloud's body suddenly contorted with pain. Everyone gasped. He looked up. Coming down, his sword pointing towards the Ancient, he smiled wickedly. The group watched in horror as Sephiroth's long and lethal blade went cleanly through the flower girl's back. The smile cracked his face into an insane grin as the silver-haired man pulled his Masamune out and wiped the blood on the figure's dress. His lips parted.

"The reunion…" Sephiroth whispered. Laughing manically, he leapt back into the air and out of sight.

"…no." The terrible silence was broken by a heartbroken, cracked whisper.

"No…no…NO! AERIS!" With a heart-retching sob, the young man launched himself forward, onto the blood-stained floor and catching the body of the woman he loved so much.

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He felt the barrier open, then seal itself again. He smiled. Ah…she was back. His smile vanished as a large force collided with the barrier, shaking it. He frowned slightly. She was running from something. And whatever it was, it was powerful. Powerful enough to shake his new, much-improved barrier. He looked towards the door. Someone had entered the room, gasping and wide-eyed.

"What is it Kagura?" the man asked, not moving from his place. "What happened?" The woman clutched a stitch in her chest and slumped down onto the ground, holding onto the doorframe for support.

"A-a demon," she gasped. "Huge. He was chasing me…he's going to break through the barrier!" The man held up his hand, smiling slightly.

"Now, Kagura, speak clearly and tell me the whole story. As for the barrier, rest assured, even the Tessaiga couldn't break through it." The woman's breathing had slowed, though her face did not seem calm at all.

"I was…looking for any interesting objects, as you instructed," she said. "I saw this huge dragon demon on the ground and went there to investigate. As I landed, it dropped something. This," and Kagura handed the sphere-like object to the man. It was still warm, and slipped a little from Kagura's moist palm. Without waiting for the man to examine the object, she continued. "It wanted me to give this jewel back. I refused, and was about to bring this to you when it attacked me. I attacked it back with Dance of the Blades, but it didn't even get hurt. Then, I used Dance of the Dragon. They passed around and through its body like nothing! I tell you Naraku, this demon's dangerous!" Naraku didn't reply right away. He looked at the silver jewel, turning it in every direction. It did, indeed, resemble the sacred jewel. It would've passed for an exact replica if it had been pink and not silver. Naraku felt the barrier shake again. It wouldn't hold much longer. This demon was as powerful as Kagura said.

"A mere dragon demon? Breaking through my new barrier?" he asked quietly. Kagura hesitated.

"Well…it looked like a dragon demon, but I didn't sense any demonic aura." Naraku's eyes widened. No demonic aura? He turned to the deathly-white girl at his side. She was holding a small, round mirror. "Kana, show me this demon!"

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The heartbroken young man carried the pink figure into the lake. He stopped in the middle of the clear, pure, holy lake. He held her body above the water. He would never see her smile again. Her pure, light-filled, radiant smile. She would never laugh, cry, talk, shout, or-or scream…or get angry. He would never feel her hand on his shoulder, warming his entire body. He bright-green emerald eyes would never look into his sapphire-blue ones, warmth and reassurance radiating from them. And…he had never told her…he loved her. He held his love up to his chest and lowered his head. He bent down and gave her a last, deep, parting kiss.

"Aeris," he whispered, into her hair. "I love you." And with those sad, final words, he lowered her gently into the water and let go. Her body stayed visible for a moment, then sank into the darkness of the water and out of sight.

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Naraku stared at the beast. It looked, indeed, like a dragon demon. Observing it closely though, he could not see a demonic aura. He watched the scaly wings flap furiously as the beast backed up.

"Perhaps it had given up and retreated? No, not a chance." The dragon surged forward, colliding into an invisible wall and releasing a huge burst of energy from its mouth. Light and air met for a second…then…the whole floor of the castle shook. Naraku sprang up, but as he did so, the building shook again and he lost his balance. The silver orb slipped through his grasp and hit the floor. Time stopped. Then…

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Inuyasha, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara were strolling along a road on the fine, sun-lit morning when the whole world shook.

"What the hell's going on?" Inuyasha yelled as he struggled to keep standing.

"Ahhhh!" The ground under Kagome gave a sudden lurch and she fell.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha ran and caught her before she hit the ground.

"What's happening?" cried Sango, holding onto Kirara for support. A crack appeared in the ground beneath Kirara, and the demon cat struggled to stay on all fours. Miroku had driven his staff into the ground and leaned upon it. Since the ground was shaking and cracks were appearing and deepening at intervals, it wasn't much help. Nevertheless, the staff supported Miroku enough to keep him standing…barely. Then, the ground gave a tremendous jerk, and despite their efforts to stay upright, the group lost their balance and fell. All was still. Nobody dared move, less the shaking would start again. Inuyasha was the first one to speak.

"What the hell was that?" Nobody spoke. Then Kagome asked,

"Was that…was that an earthquake?"

"No." Everyone turned to look at Miroku. "The sky was also shaking. An earthquake couldn't do that."

"I think…" All eyes settled upon Sango. "I think that…the whole world was shaking." Inuyasha's ears twitched.

"The…world?" he questioned hesitantly.

"Yes. Everything was shaking." Sango looked around at the surroundings. "That's strange…nothing seems to have fallen except a couple of trees." Kagome spotted a large, dark shape releasing billowing clouds of dark smoke out into the fresh, clean air (with the exception of the settling dust).

"What's that?" Miroku turned around and looked behind him, in the direction of Kagome's stare. He was taken aback.

"I don't know."

"Maybe, there's a fire?" Shippo offered.

"Of course not, stupid. Would a fire cause that much smoke? _And_ in that color?" Inuyasha snapped.

"Hey, I was just trying to be helpful!" Shippo yelled, glaring at the white-haired figure.

"Yeah, yeah, well, _stop trying_ cause you're not!" Inuyasha shot back. Scowling, he turned to the others. "So, let me get this straight. We've been tossed around like a pan of fried rice by the world suddenly shaking for no reason, then it stops and now there's a big, huge thing that pops outta nowhere and starts spitting black smoke into the sky?" Inuyasha glared at them all furiously.

"Yes, that seems like it," Miroku replied, looking around.

"Eeeeeeek!" Kagome squealed wildly. "Ewww, what _are_ those!" Kagome pointed wildly at some weird, pulsing, cactus-like plants that had seemingly come out of the ground. Everyone sprang to their feet. As one of the weird plants started swelling, Kagome shrieked and ran behind Inuyasha.

"WIND SCAR!" The attack reduced the plants to cinders. The dust cleared.

"What _were_ those things?" Sango asked. Miroku opened his mouth to speak, but was instantly butted from behind.

"What-?" He spun around. Three ugly, ostrich-like creatures were charging, butting, clawing, and pecking them furiously. Miroku batted one away with his staff. The other two leapt onto him.

"HIRAIKOSTU!" A big boomerang flew through the air and cut the creatures in half. Kagome approached them cautiously.

"Are these…demons?"

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They had gone back to the Highwind, and were now currently sitting in a group inside a hotel room in Kalm. The atmosphere was…dismal. Cloud slammed his fist down onto a bedside cabinet, tears trickling down his already wet, tear-tracked face.

"…Cloud?" Tifa began softly. He looked up into her face. Her eyes were wide and red-rimmed. He could see the tracks her tears made on her face. Some dripped form her chin. He turned away and looked at the others. They were all the same as Tifa, tear-stained, grieving, and shocked. Except for one. Cloud stared into Vincent's crimson-red eyes. No grief showed on his face, no sadness or sock. His face was emotionless, his eyes empty. Not one tear had he shed for Aeris…

The horrible grief that had consumed Cloud since Aeris had died was suddenly pushed aside and momentarily replaced by anger. His insides boiling, Cloud stood up shakily. Tifa also stood up, looking concerned, and the rest of the group held their breath. Cloud strode across to where Vincent stood so that they were face to face. This time, he didn't even flinch when those frightening red eyes stared at him, inches away.

"Aren't you sad?" The young man breathed. "Aren't you mourning? Aren't you filled with grief?" Vincent remained silent. "How can you…I mean…she's DEAD! AERIS IS DEAD! She'll never be here again! She'll never make jokes or talk to anyone or fight with us!" Cloud was breathing heavily, his face contorted with rage. "She'll never talk to us again! She'll never talk to YOU again! An you just stand there, not feeling anything…WHY CAN'T YOU JUST SHED A TEAR FOR AERIS?" Tifa, who was fighting back more tears, stepped forward and worriedly put her hand on Cloud's shoulder. He didn't seem to notice. Vincent hadn't even twitched throughout Cloud's bellowing. He remained as cold and impassive as ever. "Did you even _care_ about her?" Vincent stared into Cloud's anger-filled, blue mako eyes. Of course he did. Cloud did not know…the others did not know…but deep inside, Vincent was filled with remorse for Aeris. But he was too scarred to let his true feelings show. He had experienced too much agony…suffered too much pain…and all his feelings had been shut deep inside him…somewhere no one, and nothing could read. Not even Aeris' death.

"ANSWER ME!" Cloud bellowed into Vincent's face. "ANSWER ME! DID YOU EVEN CARE ABOUT HER? DOES IT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE TO YOU WHETHER SHE'S DEAD?" Cloud's voice had turned hoarse as he struggled against Tifa to get at the man in front of him. He broke down and sobbed. "Do you even have a heart at all?" he whispered, his voice cracking. Vincent gave Cloud a long look.

"No," he said quietly. "My heart has died with my former self. But…just because I do not show my emotions does not mean I never feel them." With those words, the man swept across the room and vanished out the door. Cloud stared at where Vincent had been standing.

"I think," Tifa ventured softly, "that he _does_ feel something for Aeris. He just…doesn't show it." Cloud slumped against Tifa, blinking hard to keep his tears back. Just then, the floor beneath their very feet shook.

"Ahhh!" Tifa cried and stumbled. She fell onto a couch, dragging Cloud along with her. Red XIII landed flat on the ground, all four legs splayed out. Yuffie shrieked and instinctively clutched her materia pouch protectively. Cid cursed and his cigarette flew out of his mouth. Barret yelled and grabbed the nearest thing he could reach, Cait Sith. He fell onto the floor, the unfortunate Cait Sith tumbling onto him. The house rattled like a kettle on a stove, gave a final lurch, and stilled. Everyone gazed around.

"What…_happened_?" Tifa asked, shocked. Yuffie was gaping at the mess in the room, still holding her materia pouch tightly to her chest. Barret was groaning with Cait Sith on top of him, and Red XIII was still painfully laid out on the floor. Cid was rubbing a spot on his head where a lamp had hit him.

"Ermmm…and earthquake?" Cait Sith suggested, bouncing back up.

"Or maybe one of 'em Shinra Mako Reactors crumbled," Barret said hopefully, sitting up.

"Well, whatever it was, it was pretty bad," Tifa said. "I thought this whole building would fall on us. I wonder if anyone got hurt…"

"Well, I'M certainly in pain," Red XIII commented, wincing. Tifa jumped up. "What? Did something fall on you? Where are you hurt?"

"Tifa…" Red XIII moaned and lay still. "What do you think?"

"Oh." Tifa blushed and looked at her feet. "Sorry. I didn't notice." Red XIII rolled his eyes.

"I wonder. Now, will you please help me up?" he snapped through clenched teeth.

"Oh!" Tifa hurried to where Red XIII was sprawled and gently lifted him up with the help of Cid, who was still looking disgruntled. Cid accidentally knocked Yuffie over and she dropped her pouch of materia. They fell out and started rolling down the stairs. She gave a squeak.

"No! My materia!" Yuffie sprang up and ran out the room, jumping the stairs two at a time.

"Well…should we go down and see what's happened?" Red XIII asked.

"Yeah, good idea," Cait Sith replied, and bounded down the stairs after Yuffie, the rest following.

When the group reached the Hotel's main room, they saw Yuffie gaping at the window. Looking outside, they gasped. They had been lucky the hotel hadn't crashed down on their heads. Some of the older houses hadn't been so lucky. They were in ruins on the ground. Broken shingles, wood, tiles, glass, stones, boards, and pieces of badly bent metal littered the town. The townspeople had run out the buildings and now surveyed the town in dismay.

"It's so horrible," Tifa breathed. Cloud stared at the ruined town, feeling, if ever more, down. Just then, Vincent strode through the front door of the hotel. Cloud stiffened. The older man surveyed everyone for a moment, then said,

"There are new monsters that seem different to normal ones. New towns have also suddenly appeared out of nowhere after the tremor." Everyone stared at him.

"New monsters?" Yuffie said excitedly. "Ooooh, maybe there are some new materia!"

"Towns popping out of nowhere?" Cloud asked quietly. Tifa's eyes widened.

"You mean…that wasn't just a major earthquake?" Vincent turned around.

"Apparently."

"What kind of monsters?" Red XIII asked curiously. Vincent didn't answer. He went out the door.

"H-hey, w-wait!" Barret yelled after the retreating form. The members of AVALANCHE glanced at each other. His meaning was clear. If you wanted to know what kind of monsters and villages, see for yourself.

"I wanna see what these new monsters are like," Barret declared, and ran out the door. Cid snorted.

"Well, I ain't gonna stand 'ere all day." He walked out after Barret.

"Materia!" Yuffie shrieked, and dashed out the hotel. The rest looked at Cloud. His brow was furrowed and he was frowning, thinking.

"New monsters…new towns…" he muttered. Sighing, he headed out the door. "Well, let's go see what these new monsters are like."

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WHOA. That was long. Eight pages of Microsoft Works Word Processor at 11 point, Times New Roman, people! Just a hint, the original plot of FFVII might be distorted a little due to the fact that this is a crossover and that I just need to distort it for some of my ideas. If you see something like that, you might go, "Hey, that's not right!" I'll try to use up-to-date weapons, but I can't remember most of the weapons seeing as I played the game up to the end of the third disk and I restarted the game again. The costs of some things will also be a little higher…or lower, depending on what works. So how was that? The first chapter! Please review and leave a comment. Just a note, to all the people that review every chapter, please don't do that with this story. If you review every few chapters or so, that'll be great! Or you can just review once, in like…chapter 7 or something. I'm trying my best to be in-character, so I'm sorry if Cid swears too little or Cait Sith's too hyper or something. But I think they're pretty in-character. Vincent might…um…get more attention since he's my favorite character. ANYWAYS…enough of my end comments. Review or on to the next chapter with you. 


	2. Discovering

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover and Seitra belong to me. Blah blah blah…

YES! The second chapter! Don't worry; I won't have many OCs in the story because I think they kind of disrupt the story. Everyone wants to read about the characters, not new made-up ones. I'll only put one or two in there if I can't remember any of the minor non-playable characters' names.

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Chapter 2 - Discovering

Kagome looked around nervously, gripping her bow tightly. She shrieked and swatted at the air with it as a weird flying creature attacked her. Inuyasha leapt forward and sliced it in half. Kagome sighed and clutched her heart.

"Thanks Inuyasha." Inuyasha put the Tessaiga back into its sheath.

"No prob."

"What ARE these things!" Kagome yelled, kicking another cactus-like plant thing. "I've never seen demons like these before!"

"I don't sense any demonic auras either," said Miroku, thumping a flyign creature on the head. "And my sacred sutras don't work on them." Sango swung her boomerang.

"Well, whatever they are, they're pretty persistent."

"Do you think," Inuyasha grunted as he sliced another creature, "that these things are related to Naraku?"

"Maybe," Miroku answered. "Perhaps he's created new types of demons?"

"There are too many of them!" Kagome cried, stabbing creatures with an arrow.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Sango panted as she beat some more demons.

"Grrrr…I've had enough of this! Wind Scar!" The wind scar disintegrated everything around them. Kagome wiped some sweat off her forehead.

"Phew, that's better." She glanced around. Nothing was coming at them now. "Those things are even uglier than normal demons!" Shippo lay flat on his back.

"And we're not any closer to that thing that's producing so much smoke. At this rate, we'll never make it!" Inuyasha sheathed his sword.

"For once, the brat's right. If the monsters keep attacking us, we'll never make it. Even if we ride on Kirara, there are still tons of flying demons." He crossed his arms and scowled. Kagome blinked.

"Well, how are we going to get there?" Miroku looked around. The surrounding area was still deserted.

"The wind scar has appeared to have scared them off. maybe Inuyasha can use the wind scar whenever too many of these new demons start bothering us. That might make the others think twice." Sango looked up.

"Hey, that's a pretty good idea!" Miroku smiled.

"Why, thank you my dear Sango." His hand inched towards Sango's butt. "I do come up with good ideas every so oft-"

"PERVERT!" A loud slap was heard around the grassy plains. Miroku lay on the ground, twitching, with a large hand mark on this cheek.

"Grrr…" Sango growled and shouldered her weapon. "I think we can move on now." Her scowl faded as she looked at the cloud of black smoke in the distance. "Though…we shouldn't go near it. There are too many demons fro us to handle, even with the wind scar. We should head the opposite direction and see if any other buildings have appeared."

"Yeah," said Kagome, shuddering. "Wouldn't want to run into more of _those_ things." The group turned around and started to leave.

"H-hey! I haven't agreed to this ya know! I'M the one who has to waste energy using the wind scar, not you guys!" Inuyasha yelled after them. Kagome continued pushing her bike along.

"Oh, stop whining! It's the only way we can get anywhere." Inuyasha growled.

"Fine! But you all owe me big time for this!"

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Growling one more time, Inuyasha ran and caught up with the rest. But white smoke suddenly surrounded them and obscured their vision. The smoke cleared.

"What the-?" Standing in front of them were three creatures. One was an ugly ostrich-like bird. The other two were people. Well, it was hard to tell if they were people because they wore masks, bandannas, gloves, boots, and were fully-clothed. However, they were shaped like people and used hands and feet. Inuyasha pulled out the Tessaiga. "Whaddya what?" he snarled.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said reproachfully. One of the people snickered. The ostrich suddenly leapt forward and started pecking Shippo forcefully.

"AHHH!" Shippo yelled and hid behind Inuyasha.

"Grrr…" Inuyasha swung his sword and cut it in two.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Everyone turned towards Kagome. She was staring wide-eyed as one of the men darted back to his companion. She felt around her clothes. "Oh no…the jewel shards…they're gone!"

"WHAT!" Inuyasha yelped. He turned furiously towards the men. "Why you little-!" The men cackled and suddenly disappeared in a puff of white smoke.

"They're gone!" Miroku gasped.

"Where are they? Where are they!" Inuyasha shouted, swinging the sword around where the thieves had stood momentarily before.

"They just…disappeared," Sango said in awe. Shippo sniffed around.

"There isn't even a trace of them. I don't smell _anything_."

"They stole the sacred jewel shards," Kagome murmured. "And we had five of them this time. I can't believe they're gone!"

"Yeah," said Shippo. "And we worked so hard for them too." Inuyasha was sniffing around furiously.

"Damn! I can't pick up their scent anywhere! They really did vanish into thin air." Kagome looked around.

"Well, let's go on ahead and ask people if they've seen them. I don't sense any jewel shards around here, so we might as well keep on going."

"Yeah, let's go!" cried Shippo, and the group continued their journey down the long, dusty, country road.

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Cloud, Tifa, Cait Sith, and Red XIII found Vincent, Barret, Yuffie, and Cid confronting a huge, long snake-like monster. It bore a resemblance to the Midgar Zolom, but it had different characteristics…and talked. It hissed gleefully.

"Perfect, many mealssss for me today!" It lunged. Barret raised his machine-gun arm to aim and fire, but something knocked his off his back. A long worm-like creature had attacked him. Tifa ran up and started kicking and punching it, but it merely hovered out of her reach. How it could hover, none o them knew, but it didn't have wings for sure. A loud bang caused everyone to turn. Vincent had shot the snake straight in the heart, but it still moved. Two more bangs followed the first one. The snake reared for a moment, then toppled over. Yuffie dodged as the flying worm attacked her. She threw her shruiken and Barret fired off many shots. The worm was cut in half and blasted into pieces. Cloud blinked.

"Well…that certainly was easy." He hadn't even bothered to draw his sword. Red XIII trotted over and poked at the worm's remains.

"They don't look like normal monsters. And there's some sort of aura around them." Yuffie kicked the dead snake. Some blood splattered onto her arm.

"GROSSNESS!" she shrieked, wiping the blood on the grass.

"These monsters are so different," Tifa said, frowning.

"…as if…" Everyone looked at Vincent.

"As if what?" Cloud asked.

"…as if they…come from another world." Tifa gasped.

"Anot'er world!" Cid exclaimed. Red XIII looked shocked.

"But…how is that possible?" Vincent continued to stare at the dead monsters as he spoke.

"I have heard rumors of a certain materia. It seems that…this materia has the power to transfer someone to…another world." Tifa looked stunned.

"Wow…there's another world? I didn't know." Cid slammed his fist into his other hand.

"Ya would if the damned Shinra had continued the Space Program! I'd be up there send'n messages to ya'll by now." Barret snorted confusedly.

"Wha? A world-travel's materia? But…how can it combine two worlds together?" Every looked at Vincent for more information. He seemed deep it thought.

"…if…the materia shatters…" he murmured.

"That would probably explain the quakes we felt earlier," Cloud said.

"Heeeeey! Look what I found!" Everyone looked up. Cait Sith was on top of the corpse of the gigantic snake. He was holding something glowing. He hopped down excitedly. "Look!" he cried gleefully. "It's so pretty!" He held it out for all to see. It was a pink, glowing shard. For some reason, it seemed to pulse with power. They all stared at it. Yuffie broke the silence.

"Oh. My. GAWD. Is that…a piece of MATERIA!" Cloud blinked, then held out his palm. Cait Sith dropped the shard into it. He examined it closely.

"Where did you find it Cait?" He looked up.

"Oh, in the belly of the snakey-monster thing!" Cloud stared.

"In the…belly? You went looking IN it's BELLY?" Cait blinked, looking confused for a moment. Then his expression cleared.

"Oh, no! I was hopping around, and something glinted in the sunlight. I went over to look, and I saw that thing wedged in it."

"Huh? Why would that stinkin' piece of #$ have a piece of materia in it?" Cid asked.

"…I don't think this is a piece of materia," Cloud said slowly. "It looked more like a crystal…"

"Or a fragment of a jewel," Red XIII said. Cloud looked at him.

"Yeah. What Red said may be right." Barret walked over to the pile of worm pieces.

"Well, maybe this monster 'as one too." Cloud looked around.

"Yuffie?" She ran behind Tifa.

"Ew, there is NO WAY I'm going near that thing. GROSSNESS!" Everyone stared at the chunks of worm. Nobody seemed to want to go near it. Then Red suddenly spoke.

"Hey, I saw something glint over here!" He walked over to a patch of gras a little apart from the carcasses. "Yup, there's one here!" Yuffie squealed and bounded over to the patch of grass. She picked up another small, pink, glowing shard and brought it over. Cloud took it from her and compared the two shards together. After a minute, he spoke.

"Well…they seem the same." Cid frowned slightly.

"I think those things make 'em monsters a hellava lot stronger."

"Yes," said Red. "They pulse with some kind of power." Cloud shrugged and pocketed the shards.

"Let's go back to the Highwind. Then we can find one of those new towns and ask the people about the shards."

"Right then, spikey ass. Whacha ya'll wait'n for?" Barret went into the airship that was parked to their right. Tifa shook her head slightly, smiling, and squeezed Cloud's hand.

"Come on, let's go before Barret gets mad." Every filed into the Highwind.

"Right," Cid said to the Full-Fledged Pilot. "Head northeast and just keep flying. I'll tell ya when to stop." The pilot nodded and started the airship. Yuffie immediately turned green and ran out of the room.

"Cloud?" Cloud looked up. Tifa was standing in front of him.

"Oh, hey Tifa." She smiled and sat down next to him.

"Can I look at the shards?" Cloud rummaged in his pockets and found them.

"Here." He handed her the shards. She held them up in the sunlight and looked at them closely. Cloud gazed at her intently. He missed Aeris badly and longed for her to be here. He had given his heart to the last of the Cetra. "Poor Tifa," he thought sadly. She had followed him since they were little. Although he never became big and famous, she had still remained loyal to him. Then Aeris came along, and it became apparent that he loved her, but…Tifa never gave up on him. No matter how broken her heart was, she still loved him and never, ever gave up. But he had given his heart to Aeris. He would never love anyone else. Tifa knew that. Yet here she was, talking to him, smiling at him, caring for him. Cloud sighed. He would never be able to love her. Never. "But I'll do my best," Cloud thought. He would not love her, but he would be kind to her and care for her…like a brother.

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Huh?" He looked up to see Tifa gazing at him curiously.

"You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. This seemed to satisfy her. She held up the shards.

"They look like crystals. I was feeling them, and there are rough parts so they probably _are_ fragments of a jewel, like Red said. If a single shard can give so much power to a monster, think of how powerful the whole jewel could be!" She sighed and handed the fragments back to Cloud. "Must be a pretty jewel." Cloud nodded and pocketed the shards again. Red suddenly gave a loud bark.

"Look! A castle!" Everyone looked outside.

"THAT'S a castle?" Barret asked incredulously. "Looks like a ton 'o Wutai houses." Yuffie jumped up and down excitedly.

"Oooh! I've read about these! These were the sort of castles built by the Wutai lords in the Feudal Era!"

"Whoa," said Cid, his eyebrows raised. "That's a hellava lot 'o houses." Cait Sith also hopped in excitement.

"Let's go down and see!" Everyone looked at Cloud.

"Well…this is definitely not part of our world, or else we would've seen it…so I suppose we should go down and check."

"Alright!" Yuffie cheered. Tifa smiled happily.

"Wow, we're going to see an ancient castle!"

"Shall we go down sir?" Cloud turned to the Full-Fledged Pilot and nodded. The airship started descending, with everyone aboard peering down hard at the large castle.

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"Hey, look over there!" Kagome said, pointing ahead of them.

"A village!" Shippo squealed happily.

"Finally!" Inuyasha yelled, and started running.

"Hey, wait up!" Kagome called after him, getting onto her bike. She started pedaling furiously. Miroku and Sango climbed onto Kirara and rode after the red blur. When they caught up with Inuyasha, they saw him standing there, looking shocked. All heads turned.

"…wow," Sango said a few seconds later.

"What a village!" Miroku commented, looking amazed.

"It looks sorta like Kagome's time," Inuyasha said.

"Uh…you guys? I don't think this is a village…it looks too modern." Kagome frowned. "Look, they have plumbing and everything." Miroku smiled.

"Ahh…I see there are still lots of pretty ladies." Sango scowled and held up a fist.

"Miroku…"

"Uh… I think we should look around," Miroku interjected hastily, stepping out of Sango's reach. "We can ask around about the huge building." Inuyasha was sniffing the air hard.

"There are so many new scents here," he remarked.

"Yeah," Kagome said. "Look, you guys check around, okay? I'm going to ask people about that huge building we saw earlier." Sango nodded.

"Right," she said. "Come on Kirara." Kirara shrank to her small form and leapt into Sango's arms. They all separated and headed in different directions.

Sango walked into a shop. She saw a lnog, glass table with objects inside. A woman stood behind the table. Above her was a large sign that read: Item Shop. Behind the woman were shelves full of objects. Sango couldn't recognize a single one. She approached the woman.

"Excuse me, but could you tell me what you sell here?" The woman smiled.

"Of course! Here, we sell potions, hi-potions, ethers, exilirs, phoenix downs, softs, antidotes, hypers, tranquilizers, and eye-drops. So, is there anything yo would like to buy?" Sango blinked. She'd never heard of whatever the woman was selling.

"Uh…" The demon-slayer stared blankly at the woman. "Could you…tell me which is which?" The woman looked surprised for a moment, then smiled again.

"Sure!" She pointed at a bottle of green liquid. "This is a potion." At Sango's confused expression, the woman added, "It gives you more energy and heals some of your wounds. This," said the woman, pointing at the bottle full of purple liquid next to it, "is a hi-potion. It's exactly like a potion, except it's stronger." Sango nodded. Next, the woman pointed at a bottle of blue liquid. "This is an ether. It restores some of your magical energy so that you can use more magic. This one is an elixir." She pointed at a bottle of silver liquid. "It restores both your magical energy and your life energy (MP and HP)." The woman moved to a bottle of red, sparkly powder. "This is phoenix down. If you throw it on someone or something when all their life energy (HP) is gone, they'll be revived." The woman gestured towards small bottles of fine, white powder. "Those are softs. You throw them on someone when they're petrified." She tapped a bottle of dark purple liquid. "If you ever get poisoned, you drink this antidote." Then the item-store keeper pointed at a pink tablet. "Whenever you get 'sad', take this. It's a hyper. If you get the opposite, 'fury', take a tranquilizer," and she pointed at a blue tablet next to the pink one. "Last of all, if you get 'darkness', use some eye-drops." She held up a small eye-drop squeezer filled with a transparent liquid.

Sango put a hand to her temple. Her head was throbbing from confusion. She had no idea what the woman meant by "fury", "sadness", "eye-drops", "magical energy", or magic. It was all terribly confusing, and Sango turned to the store keeper.

"Thank you for your description of everything, but I don't think I'll buy anything right now." She bowed slightly and left the shop. Sango looked around. "Now, where's Miroku…?"

Miroku entered a house that looked a bit bigger than the others. The first thing he saw was a large sign that said: Nibelheim Hotel. There was a woman behind a desk. She looked at Miroku.

"Are you new here?" she inquired. She wasn't exactly pretty, so Miroku didn't try any lecherous moves.

"Yes," Miroku replied, walking up to the desk. The woman smiled.

"Welcome to Nibelheim!" Miroku returned the smile.

"Aaah, so the name of this quaint little village is Nibelheim?"

"Oh, Nibelheim isn't a village." A young woman had come down the stairs into the front room. She had brown curls that hung down a little past her shoulders. She was a little taller than Miroku, and her eyes were a bright sky-blue. She smiled at Miroku. "Nibelheim's a town." The girl held out her hand. "I'm Seitra." Miroku's eyes were wide. A beautiful young lady was standing in front of him and talking to him as though they were old friends. Though Miroku had no idea why she was sticking out her hand. He bowed deeply.

"Hello Seitra! I am Miroku." His eyes lingered on her top and slid down her slender figure. She looked confused for a moment. Then her expression cleared and she bowed back to him.

"So…you're from Wutai?" Seitra asked, straightening. Miroku blinked.

"Um…yes," he replied, deciding to go along with whatever Seitra was saying.

"What brings you to Nibelheim?" Seitra asked curiously. "Wutai is far away from here."

"Oh…I'm just a traveler." Miroku had inched towards the young woman and was now standing right next to her. His hand creeped out behind her…

"Cool! Well, if you need a place to stay, you can have a room here for-" Seitra's eyes widened. Someone was feeling her up! She spun around and slapped Miroku in the face with full force. "PERVERT!" she screamed and stormed from the room.

"Eh…" Miroku grinned sheepishly and rubbed his red cheek. The other woman peered down at Miroku (who was on the floor) and said,

"Um…well, sir, if you need a place to stay, it's 20 gil a night." She came out from behind the desk and disappeared up the stairs. Miroku got up.

"Hey, wait!" But she was gone. "Ugh…I'll look for Sango." He headed out the door, still rubbing his burning cheek.

Cloud stepped out cautiously. The huge ancient Wutai castle had an eerie feeling about it. A thick, purple mist hung over the castle like a weightless veil. It was deathly silent. Red's fur was standing on end, and even Yuffie looked worried and serious. Cait Sith was standing still, Barret looked suspicious, Cid wasn't swearing for once, and Tifa looked scared. Vincent stood aside, not speaking or moving. No sign of life was spotted in the surrounding area.

"Cloud?" Tifa's voice sounded small and a little frightened. She walked over and stoof beside him. The wind whistled. She jumped. Cloud put his arm around Tifa's shoulders and held her close. She calmed down a little, though she was still breathing heavily.

"There's nothing to be afraid of Tifa," Cloud murmured. Tifa nodded and relaxed slightly. Vincent spoke.

"Something's coming." Cloud tensed and the others looked around warily. Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind swept through the area and nearly knocked AVALANCHE off their feet. A woman had appeared in front of the friends. She had silky black hair that was tied in a fancy knot on the back of her head. She was wearing a colorful kimono that fit her slender form. Her eyes were crimson-red, like Vincent's, and she had a fan open in front her face so that it covered half of it. The woman wasn't very tall; she was about Tifa's height. A smile curled her lips as he studied the people in front of her. She snapped her fan shut and stepped forward.

"What have we here? Hmmm…five mortals and two demons." Her eyes lingered on Cait Sith, who was atop his giant stuffed moogle. "I don't know what _you_ are, but I suppose you're a demon too, so make that three." Cloud let go of Tifa, drew his sword, and stepped forward.

"Who are you and what do you want? What is this place?" The woman regarded him amusedly for a moment, then opened her fan and spread her arms wide.

"I am the wind sorceress Kagura. I am here to take you to my master, Naraku. He requests to see you." Tifa frowned.

"Wind sorceress Kagura?"

"Your master wants at see us?" Barret asked suspiciously. "Ya'll aren't work's for the Shinra, are ya?" Cloud narrowed his eyes.

"What business does this 'Naraku' have with us? Why does he want to see us?" Kagura waved her fan in a gesture towards the main part of the castle.

"Yes, my master wants to see you all. Naraku knows why you're here. You have something we want. he is prepared to make a proposal for the sacred jewel shards. As for the Shinra, I have no idea what you're talking about." Cloud frowned.

"Sacred jewel shards? you mean…these?" He put a hand in his pocket and brought out the pink, glowing shards. Kagura nodded.

"Yes, those." Cloud's frown deepened.

"But…what _are_ these sacred jewel shards?" Kagura's expression twitched slightly.

"You came here wanting to know about them. If you come with me, my master will explain." Cloud hesitated, then sheathed his huge sword. He turned to look at the others.

"Well guys?" They all nodded. Cloud turned back to Kagura.

"Alright," he said.

"Good," Kagura replied. She walked towards a part of the castle. "Follow me."

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Wow. o.0 This one's even LONGER than the last one. 10 pages. 0.0 Yes. So, Kagura's here to bring Cloud and the others to Naraku. What will he ask them? Undoubtedly something evil. But will they agree? Please review (wink wink). Thanks! 


	3. To Recieve What You Had Lost

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

Alright! I know I put on my profile that this would probably be up next week, but since there's a teacher strike here, I don't have school now, so I have more time to type up the chapters. Actually, I already have the first nine chapters written…I just haven't typed them up yet. Yay! Reviews! Thanks you guys, and here are some answers to your questions:

**Rose Flame**: Thanks for replying so quickly Rose Flame! Hm…the dragon isn't a Bahamut. I just made him up. He's a…erm…random monster, lol. I'm going to have a chapter with more info about him later, so all I'll say here is that yes, he's the guardian of the materia. Yuffie will probably be able to "understand" the Feudal Era more, since Wutai was "supposedly" Feudal Japan before, but I don't think the others will have a _really_ hard time adjusting because it's mostly just the traveling they have to adjust to. Actually (in my opinion), FFVII's world is pretty similar to Feudal Japan (in Inuyasha, anyway). :D Lol, Aeris' "holy" powers would've been a real asset for sure, but she's dead. -sniff- u.u I've made the Inuyasha-tachi a little bit weaker since they don't have lots of experience with "magic" stuff, so their attacks aren't going to be very strong. LOL, yes, I felt so sorry for Vincent when Cloud yelled at him like that (though it's really all my doing…-looks guilty-), but yeah, it's probably how he'd feel. Thank you!

Hm…about the knowledge of the materia…actually (I'm sorry for my Yuffie-judging! ), to me, Yuffie's kind of a teenage girl who just knows how to strengthen and steal materia, not necessarily gather information about it. Vincent seems like the person who would go around picking up information, so I thought he would have heard more "rumors" than Yuffie. Hm…oops. I forgot…lol, humans can't sense the Shikon no Tama. They have to be priestess or something to do that…ahhh…ERROR! Ok…I'll have to fix that, so here it is --- the reason Cloud and the others can see the Shikon no Tama's powers (like it "pulsing" with power) is because the magic in FFVII's world (materia, summon monsters, mako) is making the jewel stronger. But they still can't actually "see" the shards the way Kagome and Kikyo do; they just saw it glint in the sunlight. XD I'm figuring, since Aeris' death is at the end of Disk 1, they're now in Disk 2, so Tifa and Barret would probably have more knowledge on materia. Yes, Kagura's counting Vincent as a demon. I've made it so that in this fanfic, the monsters from FFVII _won't_ have a demonic aura. But…well…usually, only demons have red eyes and such, so yeah. Anything or anyone that doesn't look human will be classified as "demons". YES! THANK YOU! I've been trying to figure out how to spell elixir (I keep pronouncing it wrong, thus the spelling mistake). I'll go back and fix it. Whoops…Nibelheim's spelt wrong…I'll have to fix that too. Thanks for the detailed review Rose Flame! wow…that was long…

**VincentValentine13**: Ahhh…first, a clarification about me reviewing your chapter nine. I realized yesterday that, yes, I _did_ actually review your chapter nine. Bad me. Lol… Now that I look at it…the woman that explained everything to Sango sounds like she's reciting a book…I'm sorry if I didn't clarify this earlier! When I meant "restore" HP and MP, I meant like…in this fanfic, HP is your life energy…cause the characters can't fight all day and not get tired, right? So I meant that you can use potions and stuff as power drinks, so that's how they "restore HP". I've already written out quite a lot of chapters, and they _do_ use potions, restore materia, and such to heal things like broken legs or slashes in the side (-wince- oww…painful). MP is about the same thing..except it's "magical" energy. They can kinda tell if their magical energy's running out. Yes…"the abnormal status fury" and such also sound very…virtual. Thanks for pointing that out for me! I'll go change it so that it doesn't sound as…er…unrealistic. I haven't seen .hack/sign, but I've heard of it. Thank you for the review VincentValentine13! I greatly appreciate it. XXDD

Ok, that was REALLY long. Time to get on with the story.

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Chapter 3 - To Receive What You Had Lost

Kagura walked purposefully towards the building Naraku was in. Cloud and the others followed, still watchful and wary. There was something they didn't like about the place, though they couldn't tell what. Maybe it was the castle's eeriness…or the silence that filled the area. Kagura stopped in front of a large building. The entrance was dark, and none of the friends could see beyond it. Suddenly, a deathly white figure materialized out of the darkness. Yuffie squeaked and wildly grabbed onto the person (or toy) next to her, Cait Sith. The figure was a small girl holding a mirror. Her hair, face, clothes, skin, and the rest of here were deathly white, as though she was on the verge of death. Her face was blank of any emotion and she stood stock still.

"Naraku is waiting inside," she said softly. Kagura nodded towards her. The little girl turned and disappeared into the building. Kagura followed. Cloud looked back at everyone.

"You all sure you wanna come? It might be dangerous." They all nodded. "Alright," he said. "Let's go." He walked into the building, the others close behind him. Cloud saw a room up ahead. He proceeded into it. Inside the room were three people. There was Kagura and the little girl, sitting on either side of a young man. He had slightly pale skin and long, black, wavy hair. His eyes were a sharp brown and his eyelids were tinged with a bit of violet. He was wearing a blue and brown Wutainese male kimono. The man smiled up at Cloud, and then at his friends.

"Please, sit down." Cloud sat, as did the others. "As you may already know, I am Naraku, the lord of this castle."

"Lord?" Tifa asked, confused. "But then…where are the other people?" The man sighed.

"There _are_ no other people. I am merely the lord of the castle, with none serving under me…except these two, of course." He gestured at the two females sitting next to him.

"Oh," said Tifa.

"We came here," Cloud interjected, "for-"

"Information about the sacred jewel shards?" Naraku looked at Cloud's hand, for he had taken out the two shards.

"Yeah." Naraku reached into his robes and pulled out three-quarters of a jewel. They all instantly recognized it to be the thing the shards had come from. Cloud stared.

"You have-?"

"Yes. The jewel is almost complete. I have been collecting the sacred jewel for almost a year. This was once a whole jewel." Naraku closed his fist around the jewel. "I will tell you the story of the sacred jewel, the Shikon no Tama." The guests all sat up and listened intently. "A long, long time ago, there lived a priestess named Midoriko. She devoted her life to helping people and killing demons. Demons are much like your world's monsters, except that some appear in human form and are just as intelligent, if not more. Demons can also talk. Midoriko liked to spend time in a certain cave and pray in it. One day, a horde of powerful demons went into the cave to kill her. The two sides fought for many days. It may have even been months or years; I do not know. Eventually, the souls of the two sides became trapped, one good, one evil. The trapped souls of the two sides formed the sacred jewel. Most humans have no need for the jewel because they do not understand it, but demons constantly seek it. If a demon swallows the sacred jewel, it will become stronger. You can also wish upon the sacred jewel. It will grant almost any wish you desire. The sacred jewel is one of the most powerful things in the world. Well," he smiled again. "In _our_ world, that is."

"So _that's_ the sacred jewel," Cloud murmured. Tifa was looking worried again. Red looked thoughtful, Barret looked curious, Cid looked interested, Cait Sith looked excited, and Yuffie had an eager look on her face. Vincent appeared to be deep in thought, though his face was devoid of any emotion. Barret spoke up.

"That woman said that you wanted to make us a deal for this jewel." He glanced at Kagura.

"Yes," Naraku replied. "As I have said before, I am collecting all the jewel shards. I am prepared to make a deal I'm sure you will all…like."

"Wait," said Red. "What do you want the jewel for?" Naraku seemed ready for this question.

"The jewel can grant us each a wish. I…want to gather up the demons that have been terrorizing innocent people."

"That's very selfless of you," Tifa commented softly. Naraku looked at her.

"Well…I must admit, I also have other reasons. You see…I'm a half demon. A half demon's life is cruel…a half demon is never accepted by either sides. Demon or human. Demons simply want to kill you for being half human. Demons always attack humans, so humans naturally hate them and fear them. Humans will see you as a half demon. They may not seek to kill you, but they still hate you. If I round up all the evil demons…the humans may see me as a hero." A slightly sour smiled curled Naraku's lips. "They may not hate me…" He sighed again. "But enough of me. The deal. Only special priestesses can actually see and sense the jewel shards wherever they are, if they're close to it. There are only two who can do this. "Kana." The pale girl came closer and held up the mirror she was carrying. It showed a young woman dressed in a red and white priestess kimono. She was tending a wounded person. "That is Kikyo. She is dead, but resurrected in a body made of clay and bones. She, unfortunately, has no interest in collecting the jewel shards, so she won't help you. However…" The image in the mirror turned to that of a teenage girl that looked around fifteen years old. She was walking around a town, looking around. The girl was dressed in a green and white school uniform, with knee-high socks and black shoes. Her black hair was waist-length and her eyes were dark brown.

Naraku continued on. "This girl is traveling with a group and they are searching for the sacred jewel shards."

"That girl is a priestess?" Yuffie asked incredulously.

"Yes," Naraku answered. "Kagome is not a real priestess…I believe she comes from another time. She has the sacred powers of a priestess though, for she is the reincarnation of Kikyo."

"She's a teenager, dammit! We're _not_ going to rely on a teenager's help. She looks even younger than Yuffie! And she looks weak too."

"Cid!" Tifa glared at him. He cursed and re-lighted his cigarrette.

"Who are her companions?" Red inquired. Naraku gestured at Kana's mirror. The picture of Kagome had turned to one of a small kid with orange hair. He had tiny paws and a big, bushy tail.

"This is a young fox demon. He is still a child, and regards the girl as his surrogate mother. I believe his name is Shippo." Shippo turned into another young woman. This woman was prettier, and looked around seventeen years old. She was wearing a pink and green kimono. She had a cute little cat in her arms and a gigantic boomerang strapped on her back. "She is a demon slayer. Her name is Sango. I do not know the demon cat's name, but it can transform into a much larger demon." A young man appeared in the place of the demon slayer. He was around eighteen, and wore dark purple robes. He also carried a long staff. "Miroku is a monk, although he…ah…does things monks shouldn't. He is cursed with a void in his right hand, and though he claims it is from me, it is actually from a demon impersonating me." Last of all was another young man of about seventeen years. He had long, white hair and white dog ears on top of his head. He was clad in a velvety-red yukata and had a sword strapped to him. "This is Inuyasha. He is also a half-demon. He owns a great and powerful sword, the Tessaiga. When transformed, it is almost as huge as yours." Naraku nodded at Cloud.

"Well, what do you want us to do?" Cloud asked. Naraku's smiled widened.

"I want you all to gather the remaining jewel shards and bring them to me. I know that there is one from your world that wants to destroy everyone, and will interfere. He has become…immobile while encountering a demon.

"Sephiroth? Immobile!" Cloud yelled. "Impossible!"

"See for yourself." Sephiroth suddenly appeared in Kana's mirror.

"SEPHIROTH!" everyone yelled. He was standing, stock-still, in a position that indicated him about to slice something, though his eyes were wide and his mouth was open.

"He is taken care of. You need not worry. He will be like that for…as long as necessary."

"So," said Tifa, regaining her composure. "You want us to join up with Kagome and gather the sacred jewel shards? Then bring them to you?" Naraku nodded.

"I would also like Inuyasha, Kagome, and the others captured. You see…they have done certain things to me that are too horrible to speak of…then say terrible and untrue things about me, however innocent they might seem. Beware, for they are very convincing actors."

"What will we get in return?" asked Cait Sith.

"As I have said before, the Shikon no Tama can grant each person a wish. It can give you anything…and you can ask and receive what you had lost…"

The effect of this sentence was immediate. Everyone instantly looked eager, disbelieving, or sad.

"Wutai…I can give Wutai its old glory!" Yuffie thought excitedly.

"Father…" Red moaned inwardly.

"Space…rocket…program…dreams…yeah!" Cid thought eagerly.

"Myra…" Barret remembered.

"A guy…I want a guy that I can fall in love with and stay with…" Tifa sighed.

"Aeris…I can see Aeris again!" Cloud shouted inside himself. He looked at Naraku disbelievingly.

"Can it…can it really bring back the dead?"

"If you wish for it."

"It can fulfill our wishes? Anything?" Cid asked.

"Anything. But remember, you only get one wish."

"Oh YEAH!" He yelled. Each person was now looking at Naraku happily. Except one.

"…Lucrecia…." Vincent looked up from the shadows, eyes narrowed.

"…how are we to trust you?" Naraku looked taken aback for a moment. Then he smiled.

"When you have the rest of the jewel shards, I will forge the jewel together. You will all me beside me. How can I not keep my side of the bargain? In fact…I will let you all wish first." Vincent said nothing.

"We'll do it!" Cloud told Naraku. Everyone stood up.

"Good. Just remember…do not believe anything they tell you about me. And do not mention our bargain." Cloud nodded.

"Right. We won't."

"Hey!" Tifa exclaimed suddenly. "Um…where are they?" They all looked at the mirror again. It showed Inuyasha walking down a street, and in the background…

"…the Shinra mansion," Vincent said quietly.

"Nibelheim!" Tifa looked at Cloud.

"Come on everyone, back on the airship. Let's go." AVALANCHE filed out of the room. An evil smile curled Naraku's lips. This time, the sacred jewel would be his. All his.

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Inuyasha had smelled metal and followed it. Now he was staring at an assortment of strange-looking weapons. There were huge swords made of different metals, some even bigger than the Tessaiga. There were also dangerous looking spears, lethal lances, spiky gloves, weird gauntlets, and other things Inuyasha didn't know. The man at the counter spoke.

"Would you like to trade or buy? That sword of yours looks awfully old and rusted. You would do better with this Mythril sword, for instance." The man pointed at a sword with a huge blade that glowed violet.

"Mind your own business!" Inuyasha snapped. "My Tessaiga's better than any of your wimpy swords!" He stomped out of the shop, the owner looking scandalized. The half dog demon spotted Miroku and Sango talking in the middle of the strange village. He headed towards them, wondering where Kagome was.

Kagome walked around the town, looking around. Everything was so civilized and modern.

"This is clearly not from Feudal Japan," she decided. She noticed the lack of people in the town. It was quiet, and only one or two people stood outside. There also weren't many houses, though there was a huge, creepy-looking mansion that seemed deserted. The girl heard footsteps, and turning around, she saw a young boy walking towards one of the houses. "Excuse me!" The boy stopped and looked around curiously. Nibelheim didn't have many visitors these days. Kagome ran and caught up with the boy.

"Yes?" he inquired.

"What's this place called?" Kagome waved a hand around.

"This is the town, Nibelheim."

"Nibelheim? That's doesn't sound very…native," Kagome thought. "What about that? What's that thing?" She gestured towards the small black dot in the distance that was still issuing clouds of smoke.

"That's Midgar," the boy replied, looking at her strangely. _Everyone_ knew Midgar.

"Midgar?"

"Yeah. It's a city."

"Oh…but what about all the smoke?"

"Well, that's the Midgar Mako Reactor." Kagome blinked.

"Mako reactor? What's a mako reactor?" The boy gaped at her. She didn't know what a mako reactor was!

"You don't know what a mako reactor is? Who are you? Are you an alien or something?" The boy stared at her as though she was mad and ran off.

"Hey! Wait!" The boy ran into a house and slammed the door behind him. Kagome stared after him, bewildered.

"Kagome!" She looked around. Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Inuyasha were standing together in the middle of the town. She walked over to them.

"So?" asked Inuyasha impatiently. "Did you find anything?"

"Yeah. This place's called Nibelheim and the place with the smoke is a city called Midgar. There's this thing in the city that's causing all that smoke. A mako reactor or something."

"Yes, this town's named Nibelheim. What a strange name. A beautiful lady in that house over there told me."

"And slapped him too, by the looks of it," Sango said, glaring at Miroku. He grinned sheepishly.

"What the hell's a mako reactor?"

"I don't know," Kagome replied, turning back towards Inuyasha. "The boy I was asking ran off. I think he thought it was really weird that I didn't know.

"What? Why?" Kagome shrugged.

"It must be one of those things…like, um…demons or something. Everyone in this time knows what demons are, so maybe everyone in this town knows what mako reactors are."

"But," Sango interjected. "None of us had every heard of _anything_ like this before. I mean…it's like a different world."

"Yes," Miroku agreed. "Perhaps another world was merged with ours." Shippo looked really confused.

"But…how can that happen?"

"That's what we're wondering," Miroku replied.

"Well, this place's too quiet and we're not gonna get anymore information, so I say we get outta here!" Inuyasha turned and walked towards the green grasslands and out of the town.

"Yeah. Let's go guys." Kagome grabbed her bicycle and the rest of the friends left the empty town.

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"Man! I don't believe it! Where's Nibelheim?" Cloud yelled, frustrated, as the Highwind soared over what should've been Nibelheim. Instead, there was only grass.

"Wait! I see something." Red peered out the window. "Look." He gestured towards a small dot. The airship soared lower.

"There's Nibelheim!" Tifa cried excitedly. "And…is that Midgar? What's it doing way out here?" Suddenly, a loud thud was heard. The airship shook violently. A large dent appeared in the roof of the Highwind. A series of more thuds shook the airship even more.

"What the #&# hell's going on!" Cid yelled as he toppled over. A large round and weird-looking bird with a person sitting on it flew into the window.

"AAAAH!" Yuffie screeched. "WHAT _IS_ THAT THING!"

"It's sitting on the bird…no, connected to it!" Red shouted back as he slid across the floor. The thing and the bird looked down…then flew straight at the lower part of the airship.

"No! THE ENGINE!" Cid roared. The Highwind stopped. In midair.

"Oh no," Cait Sith gulped. "This is _not_ good." They fell.

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"Hey, look!" Inuyasha pointed at a shape in the sky.

"What is that? Some sort of demon?"

"…are those the Birds of Paradise attacking it?" Kagome asked.

"Looks like it," Miroku replied.

"Shouldn't we go check it out?" Sango asked, grabbing her weapon.

"Yeah," said Inuyasha. "Come on."

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"Owowowowowow…" Yuffie was moaning as she gingerly lifted out a sprained ankle. "Ugh. This is SO UNFAIR! But that least I don't have to ride that killer thing anymore. If I throw up one more time, I'm gonna die."

"My baby! She's gone! Disappeared!" Cid sobbed. Where did those $/# birds take her!"

"I don't know." Cloud got out from under some branches and leaves. "The Highwind completely vanished."

"My BABY!" Cid howled.

"Owowow, my ANKLE!" Yuffie howled, even more loudly.

"Come on Yuffie, just heal it yourself," Red reprimanded.

"Hello! I don't have a restore materia, for your information!"

"Here," said Tifa. "Cure!" Yuffie's ankle mended instantly.

"Hey, why didn't you use Cure 2?"

"Because you don't need it," Tifa answered.

"Oh…" The ninja sighed. "Okay…thanks then." Vincent stood up quietly.

"…since we are all fine, I suggest we get going. It is not a long walk to Nibelheim." Cloud stood up.

"Right, let's go."

"Hey! I could use a little help here!" Everyone looked up. Cait Sith was stuck in the trees above them. Barret reached up and pulled him down. "Thank!" he said enthusiastically, hopping up again. He grabbed one of the fallen blossoms and stuck it on his head. Barret stared.

"Ooookay…" They stepped out of the trees and onto the path.

"Look! There are people up ahead," Red said. Indeed, there were figures up ahead, sprinting at them. They walked forward.

"Hey," said Cloud, recognizing the foremost person. "Isn't that that guy…Inuyasha?"

* * *

FINALLY. Boy meets world. No. AVALANCHE meets Inuyasha-tachi. Yes, that's it. How will they all react? Violently? Friendly? Hm…well, I'll try to get the next chapter typed up as soon as possible! But here's the next chapter's title: Chapter 4 - Joining. Oh yes. Also, please remember to review. Thank you! 


	4. Joining

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

**Rose Flame**: Lol, yeah, Naraku is. Though he didn't really fight them or anything…he kind of used their ignorance about Inuyasha's world to his own advantage. Yes, Sephiroth has become "immobilized". It was a pretty quick way of getting rid of him…though I never thought of explaining _how_ he got immobilized. Hm…I suppose I should dedicate at least a part of the future chapters to his little fight and encounter. No, it wasn't because of the Jenova cells, because like you said, Cloud, Vincent, Lucrecia, and the others would be immobilized too. Well, seeing as Naraku seems to know about Sephiroth…there must've been some sort of conflict between them. Well, a chapter on that will come up after I actually get over the events of what I'm writing now (remember, I've written out nine chapters so far, but haven't typed them up yet). Detail is very useful, yes, and I can't wait for more of Faith and Feather! Hope you update soon!

-drumroll- THE MEETING. Yes, AVALANCHE finally gets to meet up with Inuyasha and co.! If you would like to know what happened, read on! Note: I will try to get at least two updates per week until chapter ten or so (because I'm writing out chapter nine now). So remember to check back soon! But I won't have an update the very next day. So don't get _too_ hopeful. Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 4 - Joining

Inuyasha stopped. So did Kirara, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku. They all stared. The people in front of them were dressed _nothing_ like the people from Feudal Japan. The foremost person of the group was a young man. He had extremely blond hair that was spiked in every direction possible. He was wearing a purple uniform with slightly baggy purple pants with a large metal belt that had straps coming from it and going over his shoulders to the back of the belt. A large, metal, slightly rusted shoulder plate covered his left shoulder. He also wore heavy brown gloves with big metal cuffs. His feet were in large, stiff, brown boots and his startling blue eyes glowed strangely. A humongous sword was strapped to his back.

A young woman stood a little behind him. She had dark chocolate-brown hair and large coffee-colored eyes. She was wearing a very short, white tank top and a small, black mini-skirt. Her hands were in long, dangerous-looking gloves and she wore brown shoes. Standing beside her was a big man with chocolate-colored skin. His dark hair was cropped very short, and he had on a rough-looking, sleeveless jacket and green pants. One hand was in a fingerless, black glove with large metal cuffs. The other had been replaced by a machine arm. Two silver belts encircled his waist, he had on huge brown boots, and a skull was tattooed on his normal left arm.

A cat-like creature with flaming-red fur sat behind them. He had even redder fur that stuck up on his back and hung down on his head. Strange tattoos were on his left shoulder and his hind leg. His long tail ended in a burning flame. Two feathers stuck out of his "hair", and he had gold leg cuffs on all of his legs. His right eye was in a squint while his left eye observed the people in front of him. Next to the creature was a man of around his thirties. He had bright, short, blond hair that was flattened under pilot goggles. He wore a beige shirt with a dark blue coat and black pants. He had on light-brown pilot gloves and reddish-brown shoes.

A teenage girl stood to the side. she had short, brownish-black hair and brown eyes. A grey headband was tied around her head. She wore a short, blue tank top and very short white shorts. Her left arm was encased in a huge, white arm plate. She had on long socks and wore normal sneakers. One of her legs was in a thin covering, and she was holding a big, pointy-cross. Close to her was a large white creature that had small black wings sprouting out from its back. Two small fangs protruded out from the bottom of its mouth. A little black and white cat sat on its head. It had a crown perched on its head and a microphone in its paw. It wore shoes and a small cape.

Standing furthest back was a tall man that still looked quite young. This man was perhaps the most disturbing of all the people. His dark, black hair fell behind him and around his shoulders. A deep-red, wide headband tied around his bangs kept his crazy bangs from falling all over his face. He was wearing a black shirt and black pants with a silver belt around his waist. A long, red cape the same color as his headband trailed behind him. Its high collar covered his mouth, and his right hand was in a fingerless, black glove. He also had on tall, steel-toed boots. His left hand was the most interesting part of him. Instead of a normal human arm, a gold, sinister-looking claw was in its place. The tips of each finger were dead-sharp. The man's eyes were deep, blood-red and looked as thought they could pierce through the soul. Apart from his appearance, however, he looked frail and weak.

"…who are all of you? What happened to the demons?" Inuyasha asked. He put a hand on the handle of the Tessaiga warily.

"Demons?" The young man in the front blinked. "Well, I don't know about demons, but we just got attacked by crazy monsters when we were flying in our airship. We crashed, and everything disappeared. The airship and all the birds.

"Airship? What the hell is that?" Inuyasha's left eye twitched in annoyance. Sango, Miroku, and Shippo looked confused.

"Never mind that now," said Kagome quickly. She held out her hand. "Hi. I'm Kagome. This is Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara." She gestured to each of her friends. Cloud shook her hand. Inuyasha's ears twitched.

"Hi. I'm Cloud."

"Hi! I'm Tifa!" said the girl who had been standing behind Cloud.

"Yo. I'm Barret," said the big man.

"Hi. I'm Red XIII, but you can call me Red." The fiery-red creature nodded.

"Nice ta meetcha. I'm Cid," said the pilot.

"Hey! Meh name's Yuffie!" The teenager winked and nodded.

"Hiya! I'm Cait Sith!" The cat on top of the great, white thing jumped up and down eagerly. The man at the back of the group inclined his head slightly.

"…Vincent." Kagome grinned. Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow.

"So, five humans and three demons?" Tifa's eyebrows were furrowed.

"Demons? What do you mean?"

"Well," said Miroku. "You three are obviously demons." He pointed at Red, Cait Sith, and Vincent.

"I'm not a demon!" Red said indignantly.

"I'm not a demon, I'm a toy!" Cait Sith cried, bouncing excitedly. Vincent said nothing. Sango addressed them all.

"You're all not from around here, right?"

"Obviously," Inuyasha snorted.

"Here? What do ya mean, _here_?" asked Barret.

"Here, as in Feudal Japan," Kagome answered.

"Never head of it," Cloud said confusedly.

"Hey, _you're_ the ones who aren't from _our_ world. Anyway, you just came from Nibelheim, didn't you?" Yuffie asked, looking rather annoyed.

"Yes," Kagome replied. "How do you know Nibelheim?"

"Cloud and I came from there. We were born there."

"Really?" Kagome looked at Tifa. "So…it's part of your world then?"

"Duh," said Cid, rolling his eyes.

"Not demons? How can that be?" Inuyasha looked suspiciously at AVALANCHE.

"Well…we don't have demons in our world. Except…well…maybe…" Cloud glanced at Vincent. "Never mind."

"Well, I'm a half-demon. I bet I could beat you all easily."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome smiled apologetically at them. "I'm just a schoolgirl, you know, teenager…but I guess I'm a also a priestess in a sort of way."

"I'm a demon-slayer," Sango supplied.

"Yet you travel with one?" Red asked skeptically.

"Well…Inuyasha's a good one."

"Yes, he is," Miroku interjected, smiling. "I'm a monk."

"And he does all the things monks shouldn't."

"Now Inuyasha, don't be harsh."

"I'm a fox demon!" Shippo piped up. "And Kirara's a cat demon." Cloud grinned.

"We're all part of a terrorist group called AVALANCHE, but I'm also a swordsman."

"I'm a bar hostess and a fighter," Tifa said.

"I'm Leader of AVALANCHE…well, used to be, but Cloud's the real leader here." Barret shrugged.

"I'm…the last one of my kind." Red sighed.

"I'm a pilot!" Cid cracked a smile.

"I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!" Yuffie announced.

"I'm a…fortune teller!" Cait Sith decided. Vincent remained quiet.

"Aww, come on Vinnie! Say something!" Yuffie urged. Vincent turned to her.

"My name is Vincent."

"Whatever Vinnie. Hey Cait, poke him, will ya?" Cait Sith looked at Vincent, who was staring at him. He backed away slowly.

"Erm…I'd rather not…thanks…." Yuffie sighed dramatically.

"You're such a wimp."

"He's a sniper," Cloud informed the others. Kagome smiled. Then, her smile suddenly disappeared. She looked at Cloud curiously.

"You have two sacred jewel shards."

"What? …oh yeah!" Cloud reached into his pocket and took out the jewel shards.

"Where'd you get those!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Whoa, man, calm down. We got these from killing two of those monsters…demons…whatever." Inuyasha relaxed.

"Oh."

"You guys collect jewel shards, right?" Kagome blinked.

"How do you know we collect jewel shards?" Tifa mind raced for an answer.

"We, uh, heard from one of the new villages. But…can we join you?" Sango looked at her.

"Why do you want to collect jewel shards?" Tifa quickly made up an excuse.

"Um…because too many demons have them and they're harming the Planet." Miroku raised an eyebrow.

"Planet?"

"What we called the fricken world we live in," Cid replied, shrugging.

"Oh…well, of course you can join us!" Kagome smiled. "Welcome!"

"Wait a moment! They can't just barg in-"

"Inuyasha," Kagome said warningly. Inuyasha stopped and looked at her nervously. Kagome nodded.

"That's better."

"Huh?" Cloud and the others looked confused.

"Um…don't mind her." Inuyasha said hastily. Kagome frowned at him, but said nothing.

"Do you have jewel shards?" Tifa asked. Kagome signed.

"No…we used to have some, but they got stolen by these thieves. They stole them and vanished! And we had five shards too…" Kagome sighed again.

"Oh…well, we only have two here."

"Well?" Cloud stared at Inuyasha.

"What?"

"What do you mean, what? Since we're collecting the jewel shards together now, give them to Kagome!"

"Why?" Inuyasha blinked.

"Cause…she can see them! And I don't trust you."

"No." The voice came from the back of the group. Everybody turned towards Vincent. He looked at Kagome. "Can you fight?" Kagome met his gaze. She froze. Her eyes widened and she took a step back.

"N…n…n-no." Inuyasha looked at Kagome worriedly.

"What's the matter Kagome?"

"N-nothing." Vincent gazed at her. Then he looked towards Inuyasha.

"If she has the jewel shards, demons will go for her. If she cannot defend herself well, it will endanger her." Sango frowned slightly.

"He's right," she commented.

"Yes…I've never thought of that," Miroku added.

"Alright, then I'll keep them," Cloud decided, and pocketed the jewel shards.

"…fine," Inuyasha grumbled.

"Let's go to Kaede's village," Miroku said.

"Kaede's village?" Barret asked.

"Yes. Don't worry, we know the way."

"Why the heck do we have to go to Kaede's village?"

"To stock up on supplies," Inuyasha replied. They set off in the direction of Kaede's village, traveling on the dusty path.

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Kagome walked as far from Vincent as possible without rousing any suspicion. She kept glancing at him nervously. She couldn't believe it. There was one here. Here! Right next to her! Well…near her. How could the rest of those people travel with him? She could just imagine…he could just grab her any minute and…Kagome shuddered.

"Hey, Kagome, you okay?" Kagome jumped and looked around. Inuyasha was looking at her concernedly.

"W-wha? Oh…I'm…uh…fine! Yeah, just fine!" she replied in a falsely cheery voice.

"Kagome." Inuyasha stood in front of her, looking at her. "What's wrong? You're quiet, nervous, jumpy, and you're stuttering. _What is wrong_?" He emphasized the last three words. Kagome looked down at her feet.

"Vincent…"

"What about him?"

"He's a…a…a…"

"A what?"

"A…a…a vampire."

"WHAT!" Kagome looked up, panicking.

"Shhhh!" But it was too late. Everyone else had stopped walking.

"What's the matter Inuyasha?" Sango asked. Inuyasha glared at Vincent.

"Him!" Vincent stared levelly at him.

"…do you have a problem with me?"

"You bet I have a problem with you, you blood-sucking vampire!" Vincent's gaze shifted to Kagome. She looked petrified.

"What are you talking about? Vincent's not a vampire," Cloud said confusedly.

"What? He's not?"

"No…whatever gave you _that_ idea?" Inuyasha looked back at Kagome.

"…he's not? Really?" she said timidly. Yuffie laughed.

"Ole Vinnie may look like a vampire, but he isn't one."

"Yeah. Vampires can't walk around in broad daylight, remember?" Cloud added.

"Oh…" Kagome glanced back at Vincent nervously.

"…I am not a vampire."

"Okay. I'm sorry I thought you were one."

"That's…alright."

"Hey," Miroku spoke up. "Do any of you know what a mako reactor is?" Everybody in AVALANCHE stiffened. They all exchanged dark looks. "…what?" Miroku blinked, confused.

"No…it's just…" Cloud began.

"Those damn mako reactors destroy everything!" Barret interrupted.

"What? How?" Sango asked.

"…mako reactors suck up mako," Tifa answered. Inuyasha glanced quizzically at her.

"What's mako?"

"It's the Planet's life energy," Red replied.

"So…mako reactors are things that suck up the world's life energy?" Kagome interjected.

"Not the world's, the Planet's," Barret corrected.

"Yes. The Planet is alive. It feeds on mako energy. It's like…sucking the life out of the Planet. If the Planet dies, we all die." Red was looking very somber.

"That's horrible," Kagome whispered.

"But…who would do such a thing?" Sango asked, horrified.

"Them $# Shinra, that's who!" Cid yelled. "They're building those damn mako reactors to suck all the mako outta the Planet cause they wanna use it for their own stupid greedy plans!" Shippo blinked, eyes wide.

"Wow…and I thought _Inuyasha_ was greedy!" Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at him.

"What did you just say?" Shippo jumped and hid behind Kagome.

"N-nothing."

"So yeah," Tifa concluded, rather lamely. Kagome blinked.

"…wow."

"Midgar's really polluted. The people there live pretty badly, but they're attached to the land, so they won't move." Barret sighed.

"You guys are all too grumpy and serious-looking!" Yuffie complained. She sought to change the topic. "Um…so…uh…how did the jewel get broken?"

"Oh…erm…well, I kinda broke it…" Kagome mumbled sheepishly.

"You BROKE it!" Cait Sith exclaimed.

"Yeah…you see, there was this crow demon…it stole the jewel. Inuyasha ripped it to pieces, but the pieces stuck back together because of the sacred jewel. I got hold of one of the claws and tied it to an arrow. The claw flew towards the crow and the arrow struck it…but it also struck the jewel…and it broke."

"…" Everyone from AVALANCHE stared at her.

"Heh…"

"Watch out!" Sango pushed Kagome aside as a Nibel wolf attacked. Kagome was saved, but Sango got slashed in the side. She fell to the ground.

"Sango!" Kagome cried, and knelt down next to her injured friend. She helped her up.

"Ugh…" Sango winced and gingerly touched her side.

"Are you alright Sango?" Sango groaned.

"I'm fine…watch out, there are more." Kagome nodded.

"Right." She grabbed her bow and the quiver of arrows. Barret fired at a Nibel wolf.

"Look, you stay outta this girl, we'll handle it!"

"No way! I'm going to fight too!"

"You can't even kill it!"

"Oh yeah? Well, watch this!" Kagome notched an arrow, took aim, and fired. The arrow skimmed past the wolf and nicked its side. The wolf didn't even noticed the injury. It kept on charging. Kagome frowned, and fired off another arrow. This time, the arrow hit the wolf, but it merely fell of its chest. "WHAT!" she gasped.

"I told ya, you can't kill it! The wolves have a damned hard hide and your weapons aren't strong enough." Barret fired off a round of shots at the wolf and it fell over, dead. "You may be able to kill 'em monsters in your world, but not in ours!" Cloud rushed past and cut a wolf in half. Red slammed into another one and speared it with the Seph Comb. Cait Sith thumped another one on the head. Tifa boxed a wolf that was trying to bite her, and Yuffie threw her shruiken at various wolves. Vincent was rolling, taking aim, and firing, shooting many dead.

"Ugh! I HATE THOSE THINGS!" Yuffie shrieked. A huge white monster with green things on its head and what looked like round wings protruding from its sides had joined the fight. It flapped its wings and clouds of black fog obscured Cloud and Vincent. It did them little damage, but…

"AHHH! I can't see!" Cloud yelled. He swung his sword blindly. Red narrowly avoided having his head sliced off.

"Cloud, watch it!" Cloud stopped.

"Sorry," he said apologetically. "Does anyone have any eye drops?" Everyone checked and shook their heads.

"No, sorry Cloud. We're really short on supplies." Cloud swore. An inhuman growl suddenly sounded. Everybody turned around warily. To their surprise, Vincent was kneeling on the ground, gripping the grass tightly, growling. His whole body shook and he was squeezing his gun so hard it looked like it was going to go off. He stood up slowly. He raised his gun.

"Oh no," said Cid, recognizing the symptoms. "Oh hell no. Everyone get the fricken hell back if you wanna live!" Everyone looked at each other, then scampered back as fast as they could. Vincent growled furiously, then started shooting. Bullets were blasted into trees, mountain sides, and thin air. Some of them hit the wolves and killed them. One by one, the Nibel wolves fell. A wolf was brave (or stupid) enough to leap at him, but he fury-induced man killed it before it even touched him. The huge white monster came up behind Vincent and prepared to strike him, but he spun around like lightning and ripped it apart with his claw. He stood still for a moment. Everyone got up cautiously. Then the red-clad figure started shaking worse than every. He fell to the ground again, ripping up the grass from the ground.

"Tifa," he gasped. She approached him cautiously.

"Yes?"

"Do…you…have…a…tranquilizer?" Tifa bit her lip.

"Oh, Vincent…we only have a couple of potions, some ethers, some phoenix downs, some antidotes, and some echo screens." Vincent let out another gasp and stood up slowly.

"Fine…" Tifa looked at him, worry evident on her face, but said nothing. Vincent turned away. Cloud stuck his sword on his back and felt around.

"Aw man, we should've stopped at Nibelheim and stocked up." He stumbled and fell forward. Barret caught him just in time.

"Yo, watch out."

"Ugh…thanks Barret." Tifa glanced nervously at Vincent, who now looked like his normal self.

"Um, Tifa? Can you help me?"

"What? Oh, sorry Cloud!" Tifa ran over to Cloud and slung his arm around her neck.

"Thanks Tifa. How's Vincent doing?" Tifa hesitated.

"Uh…okay."

"Mm. Let's go now." Cloud walked forward blindly, guided only by Tifa's arm. "Hey, Inuyasha? Does Kaede's village sell any eye drops or tranquillizers?"

"Nope," Inuyasha replied. Sango was limping along, helped by Kagome and Miroku. Shippo was riding on Kirara. Cloud groaned as he accidentally kicked a large rock that was sticking out of the ground.

"ARGH. Being blind is madness. I wonder what the closest town is?"

"Hm…seeing as we just left Nibelheim, I would say…probably Gongaga or Cosmo Canyon." Tifa answered.

"Hey Kagome, you're not going home again, are you?" Inuyasha asked.

"Nah," Kagome replied.

"Good," Inuyasha said bluntly. Kagome glared at him, then looked at Vincent. His head was bowed so that she couldn't see his face, but he was walking along calmly and appeared to be alright, so she decided to talk to him.

"Hey, Sango, I'll be back, all right?" Sango nodded. Kagome walked towards Vincent.

"Kagome…now wouldn't be the best time to talk to Vincent. Don't go near him," Red advised. Kagome looked quizzically at him, but decided that it didn't matter.

"Um…hi." Vincent said nothing.

"Uh…are you feeling alright?" Kagome tried again.

"…"

"What's your favorite color? How old are you?"

"…"

"Why do you use a gun instead of a sword or something? Aren't you hot in those clothes? Why is your arm like that?"

"…"

"You know, you could at least say SOMETHING!" she yelled angrily. Vincent's head lifted. Kagome gasped. Vincent's normally red eyes were glowing madly.

"…idiot," he whispered. "I do not care what you are saying, so much as the idiotic way you are saying it…and it annoys me!" He stuck out with his left arm. Kagome shrieked and leapt back. "My life is _none of your business_." Vincent hit Kagome on the shoulder and she toppled over, cutting her right hand open.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha rushed over and caught her. "What do you think you're doing, bastard!" Inuyasha snarled. Vincent's eyes flashed. He leapt forward, but was slowed by Cid, who had grabbed onto his right arm.

"Hey, stop this damned #$$# now! C'm on! A little stinkin' help 'ere!" Barret held Vincent's shoulders. Cait Sith grabbed the other arm gingerly. Red kicked the gunman's legs so that he fell. The sniper struggled fruitlessly against his captors. Yuffie came over.

"Come on Vinnie, calm yourself!" Vincent slowed and gasped, trying to control the chaotic fury coursing through him. Everyone released him. Red looked at Kagome, who was looking frightened.

"…I told you to stay away from him."

"…sorry," the girl whispered. Vincent straightened.

"Are we there yet?" Cloud asked impatiently, just as Miroku said:

"There's Kaede's village." There was silence. Then Cloud spoke.

"Heh. Um…sorry." Miroku nodded, but of course, Cloud couldn't see it. Tifa noticed Sango wince.

"Let's hurry guys." Everyone walked towards the small group of houses, nestled in the valley below.

* * *

So, the fourth chapter done! You might be going, "why did Cloud almost call Vincent a demon?" Well, not _Vincent_ in general. More of Chaos and the rest in him. As I said before, Vincent may receive more…erm…attention as it is. But everyone looses control when they get fury, cause it's "fury". Well…just as a heads up, the next chapter will be more of the funny type than serious, although, if it's not funny, I'm trying! Remember to review guys! The next chapter is: Chapter 5 - Crash Disaster and the Wind Sorceress' Visit. XXDD 


	5. Crash Disaster and the

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

Yes! Chapter 5! A bit of a quicker update this time (or is it?). This is supposed to be a part-funny chapter, but if it's not funny, I'm sorry, I'm working on it! And just a reminder, anything or anyone from FFVII that "looks" like a demon won't have a demonic aura.

**Rose Flame**: OH NO! AND FEATHER. Lol. Maybe you can have Yuffie, Vincent, Cloud, and the others question Ryu? Since the imbued are near death, she may be more willing to answer their questions, in exchange for not dying or something…

Haha…I didn't know that. Hm…maybe I can have a part where Kagome goes "must.not.touch.must.not.touch." in the future. LOL. That would be funny. Yes, poor Vincent. -writes an apology to Vincent- But…well, I _must stress _the red eyes. _Anyone_ that has red eyes is a demon, except Kaijinbo (might've spelled the name wrong). But then, he was possessed by the Tokijin, which IS sort of a demon (well, has a demonic aura), so I guess he can also be counted as a demon, although he was originally human. Yeah…Cloud would probably say "the Shinra opposition" or something. Hm…well, we can blame that little bit on Cloud, shall we? -looks off into space, twiddling thumbs and hopes that Cloud didn't hear-

Well…Cid would probably be really angry at Shinra cause they didn't continue the Space Program, right? So…I'm guessing he would be saying "#&" Shinra. Go Cid go!

**MWAHAHAHAAA!**: Hey, there's a part in this chapter where Cait says "MUHAHAHA"! LOL. Here's more for you!

**VincentValentine13**: Thanks (is it okay if I call you VV13?) VincentValentine13! Heehee…-shakes hands all around- Well, if Vincent _was_ a vampire, wouldn't Squaresoft have him do a limit that's like, sucking blood from the enemy and gaining HP? It could be called, "Blood Sucker" or "Red Moon". LOL. I really don't know where people get the idea that Vincent is a vampire. He's not _dead_.

Ooooh…do you hate Kagome or something? Cause if you do…JOIN ME! I HATE KAGOME! Lol…it says on my profile. That little scene was actually to make Kagome look bad…cause I was being too nice to her. Making her all kind and stuff. But well…she _is_ sorta nosy.

Hm…funny that you ask if Sesshomaru will be appearing in this fic. Cause…well, I shouldn't say this. I don't really like giving out spoilers for future chapters, but I'll make an exception here. I'm currently writing (in my notebook) Chapter 10...and it's a chapter dedicated to Sesshomaru! Since he's so popular, I can't really pass him. And I don't want him to kill me. Lol. I don't know about Sephiroth…cause I was planning to have him out of the picture for this whole fic, and if I add him in, I'll have to think of this great big battle scene (I'm not good at battle scenes…mine just seem lame. I mean, a cut there and a slash here.) and he'll ruin the whole plot unless I get him out of the way again. -ducks a swing from the Masumune- But if I get some really good suggestions or I get a stroke of writer's genius, I can add that in.

Ooooh, you mean answer some questions and comments like I'm doing right now? Sure you can! But then, it's not really my idea…lots of people do it. I won't be doing this a lot. I'll only do this to answer some questions I deem important once there are lots of people. (feel the love! lol) And PLEASE UPDATE YOUR VINCENT STORY! I keep getting these notices saying that you've updated your Zelda one. Lol. Why not "Who Am I"! XD

**Charan-Amaya**: Wow, thanks Charan-Amaya! That warms my heart. Hm…maybe you can have the black materia or the ultimate materia fused with the Shikon Jewel. I think (in my opinion) that a single shard isn't strong enough to combine two worlds, but it's your future fic!

Ahhhh…it seems like lots of people now hate Naraku for tricking Cloud and the others. I didn't mean for Naraku to seem so evil…in fact, he seems more innocent to me. But then, he's the shrewd evil devil in this fic. -writes an apology to Naraku- Shrewdness beats brawn! XXDD Thanks for reviewing Charan-Amaya!

Sorry if my responses seem a little choppy, but I was typing up the responses a few minutes ago and nearly finished typing up the chapter when Microsoft Works suddenly said: "Microsoft Works has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for this inconvenience." And I didn't save. ALL MY WORK WAS GOOOONE! Yes, I know, how could I not have saved? Bad me. I just don't have the heart and memory to re-type every single little detail I did before, and trust me, I had BIG. LONG. GREAT responses. -sniff- I nearly cried. Okay, I didn't.

If anyone plays FFVII, you know the part where Cloud and the others go to the Gold Saucer in the first disk to get the keystone? And then he goes on a date with another character? Before the date, Cloud and the others gather in the Ghost Hotel to talk about Sephiroth clones. There's this part where Vincent turns to Cid and says: "Hey Cid, let's go to our rooms." Wow. I never knew that he would actually say the word "hey". Weird.

Also…the teacher strike here is over. It was over on Monday. So I'm typing this up after I do all my homework and stuff. On with the story!

* * *

Chapter 5 - Crash Disaster and the Wind Sorceress' Visit

"Demons! Demons! Everyone take cover!" Villagers ran, screaming wildy as they fled into their houses. Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara blinked in confusion. Cloud and the others got into fighting positions. Inuyasha sniffed the air intently.

"I don't smell any demons." Miroku nodded.

"I don't sense a demonic aura either." Kagome frowned.

"The only jewel shards I sense are the ones Cloud has." Sango looked around, leaning on Kirara for support.

"Then what are the villages so frightened about?" A noise suddenly sounded out behind them. All whipped around. An old woman wearing a red and white priestess' kimono and carrying a bow with arrows was shuffling towards them.

"Inuyasha! Kagome! Why are ye and your friends traveling with such fierce demons?" Inuyasha stared.

"What are you talking about, old woman?"

"_Those_ demons." The wizened priestess pointed at Red, Vincent, and Cait Sith. Red bowed his head.

"I am no demon, ma'am. I won't hurt anyone." Cait Sith bounced, as usual.

"Hee hee, if I was a demon, I'd be going MUHAHAHAHAHA instead of standing here!"

"Um, Cait? You're bouncing, not standing," Yuffie pointed out. Cait Sith stopped bouncing and scratched his head for a moment. He shrugged.

"Oh well." He started bouncing again. Cloud rubbed the back of his neck.

"See here ma'am, we're friend, not foes." Kaede relaxed slightly. She pointed at Vincent.

"What about him? Only demons have red eyes." Cloud looked back at Vincent.

"Um…no, he's not a demon. We're from a different world." Kagome smiled a little.

"I think we'd better explain back at your hut." The old woman nodded and walked back to her hut, everyone else following.

°" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °"

"So ye mean to say that the world we live in has been combined with another world?" Kagome nodded. "Do ye know how this happened?"

"No," she said. Cloud spoke up.

"We've heard that there's a sort of dimension materia that can transfer the person of thing it's equipped to, to other worlds. If it was broken in your world, it would probably combine the two worlds together." All of the Feudal Era's residents looked confused.

"Erm…what's a materia?" Shippo asked. Barret took out a round, green jewel from his machine-gun.

"This is a materia. It's crystallized mako that has magical abilities."

"Uh…" Barret narrowed his eyes impatiently. He waved the orb around.

"It's crystallized mako! Different materia have different colors, even if they're the same color. This is a _gravity_ materia."

"Er…"

"Green materia have magical abilities and elemental ones. For instance, the _fire_ materia can cast different levels of fire. The _ice_ materia can cast different levels of ice, and the _cure_ materia can cure injuries in different levels. Green materia either attack or cure," Cloud explained. He took a purple orb out from a slot in his sword. "Purple materia enhances our abilities and things like that. For instance, this materia is a _Choco-lure_. It enables me to lure chocobos to me. " He put the purple orb back and took out a blue one. "Blue materia are support materia. They…er…support other materia. For example, this is an _all_ materia. If it's used in conjunction with other materia, such as cure, it gives me the ability to cure everyone I want at once. The _HP Plus_ materia can increase my energy so that I don't tire or get damaged so easily during a battle." He put the blue materia back in and popped out a red one. "Red materia are summon materia. They allow us to summon, or call upon summon monsters to attack the enemy. Each summon monster has elemental abilities. This is a _Shiva_ summon, so if I use this in battle, I can summon Shiva. Shiva uses ice magic. Normally, a summon monster's magic is stronger than green materia magic. Like, Shiva's magic is stronger than the ice materia's current magic." The materia clicked back into place. Cloud looked around. "Um, does anyone have a command materia?" Red passed him a D-blow materia. Cloud held it up for Inuyasha and the rest to see. "Yellow materia are command materia. They give you more commands. This is a D-blow materia, right? D-blow stands for deathblow. When Red has it equipped to him, it gives him the ability to use a stronger attack, rather than use his normal one. So basically, you can do more things with yellow materia." He handed the materia back to Red. Kagome frowned.

"Okay, I sorta got that…but what about the dimension materia you were talking about? What kind is that?" Cloud shrugged.

"Dunno. It's just what Vincent said. He said that he'd heard of rumors about this materia. We have no idea what it looks like, what it does, what kind of materia it is, or if it even exists. For all we know, our worlds could've been combined by an entirely different reason." Kaede nodded thoughtfully.

"I see…" Suddenly, there was a loud slapping sound.

"LECHER!" Sango yelled. Miroku winced and rubbed his red cheek.

"It was the hand, honest! It's cursed!" he wailed.

"YOU'RE cursed!" Sango shouted. Miroku sighed. He glared at his right hand.

"It's all your fault. If it wasn't for you, Sango would like me and I wouldn't get hit all the time!"

"He's cursed AND mental," Sango muttered. Tifa giggled.

"Does he do that to you all the time?" she asked the angry demon-slayer.

"Yes! The lecher just can't keep his hands off women!"

"Only _beautiful_ women Sango," Miroku corrected.

"So that means that Miroku thinks you're a _pretty_ girl, Sango!" Yuffie exclaimed, laughing. Sango blushed.

"Well…erm…still! That doesn't mean he can do that!" Yuffie patted Sango's shoulder, grinning cheekily.

"Sure, whatever."

"Grr…" Sango growled and gave Miroku the death glare. He squeaked and ran behind Cait Sith.

"Hide me!" he whimpered. Cait Sith stared at him and stopped bouncing.

"Um…okay. Do you want me to read your fortune?"

"Ooooh, these are pretty jewels!" Shippo tossed a lightning materia into the air, reaching into the velvet bag for more.

"OH MY GAWD! That's MY materia, pipsqueak!" Yuffie dashed around the room, chasing Shippo, who was fleeing for his life.

"Why is does your sword glow purple?" Inuyasha asked, examining Cloud's Force Stealer. Cloud shrugged.

"It's just the way it is. How can your sword transform?" Inuyasha started explaining about the Tessaiga. Red was trying to communicate with Kirara, who was grunting and meowing. Red barked. Tifa and Sango were engaged in a hand-to-hand combat, trying to see who was better at martial arts. Barret and Cid were talking to Kaede, sniffing the herbs. Cid was trying to make a cigarette with one of the herbs, earning a telling-off from Kagome.

Cait Sith swung and hopped, then pulled out a slip of paper.

"You will have a great success with the opposite gender," he read. Cait Sith blinked, looking confused. "Hm…I've never got this one before. Weird. Must mean you'll have lots of girls coming after you or something." Sango suddenly stopped, causing Tifa to have to swerve to avoid hitting her.

"WHAT did you say?" Cait Sith smiled cheerfully.

"I said, the fortune must mean that Miroku will have lots of girls coming after him!"

"No-!" Miroku tried to stop Cait Sith from telling ,but it was too late. Sango was shaking, flames burning around her (not literally). She held up a fist.

"…MIROKU-!" The monk gulped. He grabbed Cait Sith's arm.

"Run for it!" Sango leapt forward. Cait Sith and Miroku rushed past Tifa. She blinked.

"…what-?" The latter grabbed her bottom as the pair passed. Tifa's eyes widened.

"THAT'S IT! GET BACK HERE PERVERT!" Shippo had been caught by Yuffie, who was shaking him upside-down.

"Kirara!" he squealed. "HELP!" Kirara turned around and ran to Shippo. Red followed, calling out uselessly.

"Hey! Wait! Roof roof!" His tail accidentally brushed the herb Cid was holding when he passed. It burst into flame. Cid yelled in panic and dropped it. It fell into the large pile of herbs. Suddenly, the room was full of the smell of medicine. Inuyasha swung the Force Stealer around. Kagome leapt back from the flames, bumping into Cloud, who crashed into Inuyasha, who lost his balance and swung the sword into the wall. It crashed down in a heap of wood. Barret shouted and grabbed a tub of water to put out the flames.

"Everyone watch out!" he bellowed. Then Miroku, running wildly and blindly from Sango, tripped and tumbled into the giant person. The tub went flying, soaking everyone and putting out the fire.

"ENOUGH!" roared a voice. Everyone froze and looked towards Vincent, who had been standing in a corner. His eyes were glowing madly, he was wet, covered in dust, and had his gun out. Cloud gulped.

"Everyone…get out of here!" Vincent pointed his gun at Shippo, who had been whining. Everyone ran. Multiple gunshots rang out in the village as the maddened man shot wildly at anything that moved. Kirara yowled and fell, shot.

"Kirara!" Sango shouted, stopping. BOOM. She fell alongside the demon cat.

"OW!" Yuffie stubbed her toe on a fallen piece of wood. She hopped up and down on one foot. A bullet whipped through the air and lodged itself into her thigh. She toppled over.

"We've gotta do something!" Cloud yelled. "At this rate, he might turn into Death Gigas!"

"Yo man, me, Cid, Red, and Cait'll tackle him! You knock him out with your sword!" Barret shouted. Cloud nodded.

"Right. One, two, three, NOW!" Four figures jumped on Vincent. Cloud threw his sword on the red-clad figure's head. He was knocked out instantly. Red sat up.

"Wait. We should do something to restrain him. We have no idea what his intentions are once he wakes up." Cloud frowned.

"Well, neither of us can cast stop or sleep. I suppose the best thing we can do is have someone transform him." Cait Sith waved his arms.

"Oooh! Oooh! I can cast mini!" He focused on Vincent for a moment. A puff of white smoke obscured the unconscious man, then disappeared. Cloud bent down and picked the mini Vincent up. He slipped him into the his item inventory.

"We'd better remember to take him out after two hours. We should get to Nibelheim soon."

"Yuffie! Are you all right?" Tifa ran over to the injured ninja. She helped Yuffie sit up. The ninja rubbed her head.

"Ow…I didn't know a stubbed toe could be so dangerous. Boy, Vinnie sure is scary when he's mad."

"Yeah…okay, Yuffie, hold still." Tifa closed her eyes and focused on Yuffie's leg. "Cure 2!" The bullet popped out and the wound healed instantly as glittering, purple sparkles surrounded Yuffie. Red winced.

"I think I have a sprained tail…" Tifa turned to him and cast Cure on it. Some green sparkles fell around Red. He flexed his tail. "Aaah…much better now. Thanks Tifa."

Miroku and Kagome were shaking Sango and Kirara. A tear fell from Miroku's eye and Kagome was crying. Inuyasha crouched beside, them, looking sad.

"Sango…don't die on me," Miroku whispered. Kagome cried even harder.

"Sango! Kirara! Wake up! Why won't you guys wake up!" Inuyasha's eyes were downcast and Shippo was sobbing madly. Cloud ran over.

"Hey, Sango and Kirara will be alright. Stop crying!" He closed his eyes and turned to Sango as Tifa ran over to Kirara.

"Cure 2!" they cried in unison. Purple sparkles surrounded the demon-slayer and demon cat. Everyone held their breath. Then, Sango opened her eyes and Kirara mewed.

"Sango!" Kagome cried. Sango looked up.

"Oh. Hello Kagome. Um…what happened? All I remember is Kirara falling and…Kirara!" The woman looked around frantically. Kirara got up, completely healed. She leapt lightly into Sango's arms. "Oh Kirara! I'm so glad you're all right." Kagome smiled.

"Cloud and Tifa healed you guys." Sango looked up gratefully.

"Thank you. I don't know what would've happened if you hadn't saved us." Cloud grinned and Tifa smiled. Shippo suddenly spoke.

"Um, Cloud? I just remembered something. Weren't you blind before?" Cid snorted.

"Ya just remembered that _now_, you little brat?" Cloud looked down at the young fox demon.

"Yeah, but darkness only lasts for a while."

"Oh."

"So." Inuyasha butted into the conversation angrily. "What was with _him_?" He jerked a finger at thin air, then looked wildly around. "Hey, where'd he go!" Cloud sighed.

"We minimized him and I put him in my item inventory." He held up a small black box. He shook his head. "Vincent got fury from that monster we fought. You know, the one that's all big and white? If you get fury, you're filled with rage. It's really hard to control. Plus the fact that we were being way too rowdy, so Vincent couldn't take it anymore."

"Indeed." Kaede shuffled up behind them. "My hut has been wrecked." Everyone looked guiltily at the heap that had been Kaede's hut. Kaede turned back to her hut. "I suggest ye all leave right away and go to wherever ye need to go." Kagome scuffed the ground with her feet embarrassedly.

"Um…sorry Kaede," she said quietly. Cloud strapped his sword to his back.

"Let's hurry to Nibelhiem and get some tranquilizers. Minimize will wear off soon. Vincent will probably be more calm when he wakes up, but I don't want to take any chances. Everybody packed up and headed out the village.

"Poor Kaede," Kagome sighed. "We totally wrecked her hut."

"Who cares, the villagers will build a new one."

"Inuyasha!"

"What?"

"That's not right you know! It's not the villagers' jobs to make a new hut for Kaede! We should've done it, if it wasn't for the circumstances!" Inuyasha scoffed.

"Right, as if I'd build a hut for the old hag."

"Inuyasha…SIT!" Inuyasha slammed into the ground.

"What'd you do that for!" he yelled angrily. "Why would I want to help the old hag?"

"SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT, SIT!" The materia casters were shocked.

"Why did you do that to him!" Tifa exclaimed.

"Because he was being rude!"

"So you make him slam into the ground just because he's rude? Isn't he your friend?"

"Well, yes."

"Then why do you treat him like a dog?" Kagome frowned angrily.

"I do not!"

"Yes you do! Why do you have that power over him anyway?"

"Well, he tried to KILL ME when he first met me!"

"But doesn't he save you a lot now?"

"Um…yeah."

"Then this is how you pay him back for saving you all those times? Just because he's being rude or disrespectful? Don't you trust him now?" Kagome was taken aback.

"Um…well…uh…I…er…"

"You only keep it on him because you _like_ having that power over him, do you? That way you can make him do whatever you want, or punish him for doing or saying something you don't like!"

"Uh…"

"Basically, you're just plain selfish!" Kagome was shocked.

"No…it's not like that!"

"Then why haven't you removed that thing yet?"

"Because…well…because…"

"Because what? How would _you_ feel if he did that to you!"

"I…" Kagome sighed. "You're right. I've been selfish." She knelt down to Inuyasha, who was staring at her. "Do you want me to take off the rosary?" Inuyasha nodded cautiously. Kagome took hold of the rosary. She hesitated…then pulled it off. It glowed for a moment, then fell apart. Inuyasha stared at Kagome disbelievingly.

"…you…you…y-you t-took it off!" The schoolgirl nodded. Inuyasha stared at the rosary beads for a long moment…then crushed them with his fist. "YES!" He hugged her, then started jumping up and down. Shippo scowled.

"Now I won't have any protection!" Inuyasha grinned.

"Don't worry brat. I won't hit you _too_ hard." Miroku stretched.

"Congratulations Inuyasha," he said, as though he was congratulating the hanyo for winning the Noble Prize award. "Well, I think we should stop for the evening." Kagome nodded.

"How about we all go get some firewood? I mean, Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, Kirara, and I. Then you guys can have some time to yourselves, and so can we."

"Sounds fine to me!" Cait Sith said, bouncing.

"Alright. Come on guys." Inuyasha's group left the clearing. Suddenly, Cloud's pocket started glowing. Cloud yelled in panic and pulled out Vincent. He gingerly put him down on the ground. Vincent's glowing form slowly returned to it's original size, although he was still unconscious.

"So…whacha ya'll think of them?" Barret asked. Cloud shrugged.

"They're okay."

"Yup," Tifa agreed.

"Li'l too rowdy for mah opinion," Cid commented.

"Weird," Yuffie supplied.

"Ya." Cait Sith nodded.

"A little immature," Red said.

"…annoying," said a voice from the shadows. Everyone whipped around. Vincent had materialized out of the darkness.

"Vincent! You're up!" Cloud exclaimed. The sniper's eyes still showed signs of fury.

"…"

"How're you feeling?" Tifa asked anxiously.

"…fine."

"Yeah right Vinnie. You're still in fury." Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"…" A sudden burst of wind swept through the camp. A familiar woman jumped off a huge, white feather, which shrunk to its normal size.

"Yo," she said. "Remember me?"

"You're…you're…wind sorceress Kagura!" Tifa said, surprised. Kagura smiled wryly.

"You can just call me Kagura. So, how are you doing with Inuyasha and the others?"

"Oh, fine," Cloud replied.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"But they lost their jewel shards," Yuffie said sadly. "Some bandits stole them."

"What? Oh…Naraku's not going to be happy to hear that…"

"We'll probably meet them sooner or later," Red commented.

"That's good."

"So…are ya just here to check on us?" Cait Sith asked.

"Yes. And…I also have a message to deliver."

"What is it?" Barret asked.

"Naraku's position is supposed to be unknown to anyone, so don't mention where the castle is and pretend you've never heard of him. You'll also probably not see me again for a long time." Cloud nodded.

"Alright."

"Remember to collect any jewel shards you find."

"You're damn right we will," Cid said. Kagura pulled her feather out of her hair and jumped onto it. She flew off. Just then, Inuyasha burst into the clearing.

"I caught Naraku's scent! Where is he?" Cait Sith grinned cheerily.

"We were just talking. There wasn't anyone else here…and how come you can smell scents? And who's Naraku?" Inuyasha frowned.

"The scent's gone…never mind."

"Inuyasha!" Sango came on Kirara, followed by Kagome, Miroku, and Shippo. "Did you find anything?"

"No. The scent's gone. I must've imagined it." He noticed Vincent. "You're up!" The hanyo pulled out his sword. Yuffie hastily stepped between them.

"No, no, Vinnie's all right now!" Inuyasha looked suspiciously at Vincent.

"Really? How are you so sure?" Vincent stared him straight in the eye.

"…unless you are rowdy and disturb me, I will not…hurt anyone." Inuyasha sheathed his sword.

"Fine." Cid yawned.

"Let's start the fricken damn fire, eat, and get some shut eye." Everyone agreed, and set to cook the things they had in their packs.

* * *

ARRRRRRRRGH! STUPID MICROSOFT WORKS! I had to retype the last three pages of this chapter THREE TIMES because Microsoft works was like "Microsoft Works has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for this inconvenience." I was so MAD. Anyway…that was _really long_. I'm on a roll…lol. Sorry for those who were disappointed with the rosary being taken off and all, but I _really_ hate that rosary (and Kagome for "sitting" Inuyasha all the time) and I just had to get it out of the way. Poor Inuyasha! He still had to endure those six sits. -writes an apology to Inuyasha- Phew, I'm writing lots of apologies today. One to Vincent, one to Naraku, and one to Inuyasha. For Kagome…well, woe to her, I HATE HER. Too bad. -sticks tongue out- Okay, enough of my Kagome rant. I typed up the first half of the chapter a few days ago, and I finished it today. Guess what? It's HALLOWEEN! I'll upload this tomorrow, so it won't say "last updated: October 31, 2005" if you check. But I'm not going trick-or-treating or dressing up. u.u Cait Sith is smaaaaaaart, thinking up such a quick answer to Inuyasha's "Where's Naraku!" But what can I say? I like Cait Sith. I hope you all weren't _too_ confused by my materia explanation. Please remember to REVIEW! The next chapter is called: Chapter 6 - The Shinra Mansion Revisited. 


	6. The Shinra Mansion Revisited

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover Scott, Buddy, the single turk nobody knows, and all the names of the board games belong to me. Blah blah blah…

School b.o.r.i.n.g. Hm…for all the people who like battle scenes…well, this chapter's full of them! If they're not very good, I'm sorry, and I'll try to make them better. If they're not very…erm…right, please give me suggestions if you can. If they're all right, then please tell me so I know I should continue the battle scenes that way.

**Rose Flame**: Lol. Yes, Cait is cute. Usually, I don't like people reviewing on every chapter, but you're an exception. Thanks for reviewing! What I do in Microsoft Works Word Processor (phew, long name) is that I type everything up there, save it, then copy and paste it into WordPad. Since I can create a template in MS, it's easier.

**VincentValentine13**: Thanks VV13! I'm going to call you that because you didn't say whether I _could_ call you that, but if you don't want me to call you that, I can switch back. In the meantime, that's my nickname for you. Well, I hope you update soon. That's what was happening to me last week and this week. Remember how I said I was writing that chapter on Sesshomaru? Well, I don't like writing long battle scenes much, and I got writer's block. I also got writer's lag (it's when I get too lazy and don't feel like writing). But I played FFVII yesterday, and it got me back on track, so I'm writing that up now. Fanart central…hm…would you mind giving me the url? Lol, ok, I'll email you if I need help on something. Yeah, the mini materia. The materia and weapons are kind of un-updated because of the place I'm in at the game now (I only know the beginning ones and the ending ones because I finished the game a loooong time ago, and now I'm restarting). So I'm using the materia I have currently (as you know, this takes place after Aeris dies, -sniff sniff- so they already have some more advanced weapons…like Cloud has the Rune Blade and Yoshiyuki, but he isn't using them). I was originally going to use Sleep and Slow, but I don't have those materia yet (therefore, Cloud and co don't have those materia yet), so I switched to mini. Still works, though not as well.

I've read a bit of your Zelda story, but I don't play Zelda or FFX, so I don't really know their story lines…I'm kinda confused. It's hard to read a fanfic if you have no idea about the main characters (Zelda, Link, ect.). And no, it's Kirara. It's just that most Japanese people can't pronounce "r", so it's _pronounced_ "Kilala", but _spelt_ "Kirara".

**Charan-Amaya**: Eh…are you saying that Chapter 5 was too short? On contraire, I think it's pretty long. Well, for me. I'm sorry if the chapters aren't big long ones that take a fast reader around 30 minutes to read. I can't write that much. But don't worry, there will be LOTS of chapters. Heh…yes, I _do_ torture him in the beginning…but I've written an apology to him, and he won't be as tortured. But think of the up side; most of the others were covered in dust, dirt, and some got hurt. Hey, that rhymes! Lol. YES! You hate Kagome! -dances- I'm going to form an "I HATE KAGOME" club, and all can join. Just joking. I _want_ to though. About Vincent going to the mansion…-evil smile- I think that since everyone else goes, _he_ has to go too. Eh heh…-smiles evilly- Well…I think Red is a cat-ish creature too, but in the game (you know, when you get Red?), he barks at Aeris, and cats don't _bark_. I'm sure I didn't hear wrong…he _barke_d. Instead of making cat noises. So I had him bark. Lol, why would I want to kill you? -takes Masumune and sticks sword- Heehee…er…why do you hate Cloud so much? I LIKE AERIS! -glares- Lol. Hm…a big piece of the jewel might work. Though I still think it should be the whole jewel, because the Shikon no Tama kind of presents the Feudal Inuyasha era. But it's your fanfic, so do whatever you want with it. XD

PS. Ok, I'll go and read your fanfics. I don't really like one-shots though…but I'll read them anyway.

Say, can anyone tell me if Cloud really says "Let's mosey" ? Well, in the English version of FFVII. Because there seems to be a lot of Cloud saying "Let's mosey" in the FFVII fanfics I've read, but I don't recall him actually saying these words when I played the game. o.0

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Chapter 6 - The Shinra Mansion Revisited

Tifa walked along thoughtfully. They were going to Nibelheim, her home town! Although it wasn't as homey and nice anymore, with all the black-hooded Sephiroth clones drifting all over the town. Cid looked curious.

Hm…I've never been to Nibelheim before. Is it a nice place?" Shippo looked up at him.

Wow, that's the first sentence you've spoken that doesn't have anything bad in it!" Cid narrowed his eyes.

Look kid, I don't go all over the place saying say'n 'damn' and other things."

Erm…" Everyone from AVALANCHE looked dubiously at him.

What?" Barret sighed.

Nothing Cid." Tifa smiled at the pilot.

"No, there isn't anything fun in Nibelheim. It's…very quiet." Cait Sith frowned.

"I don't like that place. It's so creepy and weird."

"Yes," Miroku agreed. "It has a strange aura of foreboding." Yuffie sulked.

"I'm bored." Red glanced back at her.

"We're almost there."

"Yeah, it's up ahead." Inuyasha pointed at the shape of the houses. As they got to the town, they saw a boy playing fetch with a dog. He looked up.

"Oh! Mr. Cloud! Miss. Tifa!" He ran up to them. Cloud bent down.

"Hey Scott. What's up? Where are the other kids?" Scott looked at him sadly.

"They're all too scared to come out and play." Tifa bent down too.

"Why?"

"Because…" Scott glanced at the huge, dark mansion in the back of the town. "There've been really weird noises coming from the Shinra mansion the past few days. Everyone's scared that some horrible thing might be in it. I'm kinda scared too, but I was bored." Yuffie grinned.

"Same here Scotty!" Cloud and Tifa looked at each other.

"Strange noises?" Tifa thought.

"We'd better check it out," Cloud said, getting up. "Scott, bring Buddy with you inside." Scott nodded.

"Okay." He patted the dog. "Come on Buddy." They went inside the house. Cid looked around.

"This sure ain't some happy dandy town alright." Cait Sith shuffled forward.

"Wait until you see the inside of the mansion. It's even gloomier." Sango spoke.

"Where'd Vincent go?" Everyone looked around.

"…I am right here." Vincent was walking out of the item shop, holding several things. He handed them to Cloud.

"Oh, great! You took a tranquilizer?" Vincent nodded. Cloud stuffed the things into the item inventory. "Well, let's go." They walked through the gate and into the mansion. Shippo squeaked and leapt into Kagome's arms.

"Ooooh, it's so creepy in here!"

"You can second that," Kagome whispered. She clung to Inuyasha's arm. Red looked up.

"I hear things upstairs." The group crept cautiously up the stairs. As they neared the top of the staircase, four weird pumpkin-heads with transparent bodies that looked like badly dressed up ghosts appeared.

"AHHH!" Kagome shrieked. Cloud pulled off his sword.

"Dorky Faces!" he yelled. Dorky Face A cackled and opened its mouth. It used one of its main attacks, Curses. The black cloud rose and covered Barret. Red turned around.

"Barret!" Barret mouthed wordlessly. He pointed at his mouth.

"Silence!" Yuffie said, understanding. "Echo Screen!" She yelled, throwing an Echo Screen at Barret. He opened his mouth and grunted.

"Thanks Yuffie. For once, I won't call you brat," he said grudgingly. Cloud slashed Dorky Face A in the face. Yuffie threw her shruiken and Tifa boxed it. It managed to reduced the damage of the attacks by fading slightly.

"Man, they're even stronger than last time!" Yuffie complained.

"Yeah," Barret grunted as he shot at Dorky Face B.

"HIRAKOTSU!" The boomerang whizzed through the air and hit Dorky Face C. It teetered for a moment, then sprang back up.

"It's no use," Cloud said as he slashed Dorky Face A again. It now had two deep cuts in its face. "You have to hit it harder than that. You probably just gave it a bruise or something. These things are like…really strong." Cid walloped Dorky Face B on the head.

"Ugh," he grunted. "That shoulda dented it's idiotic fricken head." Dorky Face B shook for a moment, then cast Curses, but it missed. Cait Sith bopped it cheerfully on the head. It bobbed up and down like a corkscrew.

"Heehee!" Cait said gleefully. "I love watching them do that!" Inuyasha stepped forward, brandishing the Tessaiga.

"Out of the way!" he shouted. "WIND SCAR!" The wind scar whipped through the Dorky Faces and gave them slightly burning cuts. Cloud blinked. Dorky Faces A and B were gone. "HA! They're dead!"

"Um…well, you didn't really do them a lot of damage. Only a few cuts," Cloud commented.

"Yeah right. I _killed_ them. With the wind scar."

"Uh…that's only because we weakened them first."

"Whatever." Vincent took out his gun and shot a hole clean through Dorky Face C's face. It spun around from the impact, then died.

"Wow!" Tifa exclaimed. "What a critical hit!" Miroku turned to Dorky Face D.

"Sacred Sutra!" The sutra hit the Dorky Face and…fell. The Dorky Face cackled.

"Er…what was that?" Cloud asked, trying not to sound too unimpressed. Miroku stared at the slip of paper on the floor.

"It is a Sacred Sutra. Sutras are supposed to rid evil demons of their demonic powers and kill them," he answered. "However…they do no seem to work on demons from your world."

"Right." Red rushed at the cackling Dorky Face and hit it with a D-blow attack, right before it could conjure Curses. It toppled over and rolled in midair, it's head bobbing wildly. Cait Sith pointed and laughed at it. The Dorky Face was greatly injured and battered. It was weakened, and was slower at moving. It barely had enough soul power to conjure Curses or another attack. The Dorky Face drifted forward weakly.

"DIE!" Kagome shot an arrow at it. The arrow went through it, though it didn't go through with enough force. A part of the arrow was now lodged where Dorky Face D's ear would've been if it had one. The Dorky Face stilled and hung in the air. "WHAT! It didn't kill it!"

"Nope!" Cait exclaimed. "Too weak." He jumped forward and karate-kicked the Dorky Face's head. Its head fell off, hovering beside the frayed body. The Dorky Face dissolved into nothing, as its comrades had.

"Well, that was a nice waste of time," Inuyasha said impatiently. Cloud looked left and right.

"Well, if we go this way," he pointed to the left hallway, "we'll be at the safe where we fought Lost Number. If we go the other way, we'll end up in the basement, where the library and lab is. And also where we found…" Cloud trailed off and glanced at Vincent. "Yeah. So…um…which way should we go?"

"Well, I think that anything creepy or powerful or something would probably be in the basement, so I think we should check out the safe first," Tifa suggested.

"Ya," Yuffie said nervously. "We should check out the safe cause it's safe, get it?" She laughed shakily. Nobody else did. They proceeded towards the safe, taking the left hallway. As they neared it, they saw a purplish-red goo all over the floor.

"…that wasn't there when we left," Red said slowly.

"Ew!" Kagome squeaked.

"Grossness!" Yuffie whispered. Cloud knelt down and scooped up some goo with his finger.

"This looked like…Lost Number." Tifa gasped.

"But that's impossible! We fought and killed it!"

"Now _that's_ weird," Barret commented.

"Whatever that is, the damned thing must've come back to life. I don't know how the hell it did it though," Cid growled.

"If it's back to life," Cait Sith said, "then where is it?" Everyone looked at each other.

"The basement," Cloud said softly.

"Ugh. Not that creepy place." Yuffie shuddered. Sango looked around.

"Then what are we all waiting for?" she asked. Cloud nodded, but before he could say "let's go", Vincent walked past him, out the door and into the hallway, towards the basement. Everyone followed. Vincent went up to the huge stone door and pressed something. The door opened. The whole group filed down the long, rickety, old, winding staircase. Occasionally, the boards would squeak and give everyone a start. The stairs lead to an underground passageway, littered with old bones of rats and other rather unpleasant things. Some Black Bats fluttered around the ceiling, but didn't bother them. They all walked past the place where Vincent had been found. An old, peeling door loomed up ahead of them in the darkness. Vincent opened it. All of them entered Hojo's lab. Kagome gasped. Shippo was shivering so much that Kagome's backpack (he'd dove into it as soon as they'd left the stairs) quaked from him.

A wave of memories hit Vincent. He could see, almost perfectly…Lucrecia's agreement to the experiment…Hojo injecting Jenova's cells into Lucrecia…the newborn Sephiroth being carried into the lab…being shot by Hojo…Hojo dragging him onto the table…the madman's wildly insane face grinning at him, holding up a needle full of Jenova's cells…having the specimen's cells injected into him…being experimented on…

Vincent knelt on the ground, clutching his head. Lucrecia…Hojo…Sephiroth…Hojo…Lucrecia…Lucrecia…

"Vincent? Vincent. Vincent! Are you alright?" Someone was shaking him. The sniped opened his eyes. Tifa was standing in front of him, looking at him worriedly.

"…I'm fine…" Vincent stood up, giving his head a little shake. He looked towards the study. "There are noises coming from the study…" Kagome suddenly looked alert.

"I sense two sacred jewel shards!" Inuyasha grabbed the hilt of the Tessaiga. Cloud grabbed his Force Stealer. Barret readied his arm, Tifa readied her fists, Cid held his spear up warily, Yuffie held her shruiken in an attack stance, Vincent gripped his gun tightly, Cait Sith turned the volume of his microphone up a little, Red went into fighting position, Sango lifted her boomerang, and Miroku steadied his staff. Squishing noises were heading towards them, getting closer and closer. Everyone held their breath. A hideous, slimy, disgusting, gigantic, red and purple monster came into view. It had two huge heads, one being spiky. Half of it was red while the other half was purple, and the eyes glared and mouth gaped at them.

"It's Lost Number!" Cloud yelled.

"It has two sacred jewel shards!" Kagome shouted. "One in each head!"

"Watch out! It's attacking!" Tifa cried as she jumped aside. The red side of the monster swung out it's thick arm. It hit Kirara and Cait Sith, sending them flying into the shelves behind them. The jars and cases on the shelves fell down and broke in a tinkling of glass, the contents spilling onto the unfortunate pair. Cait Sith got up, swaying slightly, cross-eyed. He had a big bump on his head. "CURE!" Tifa yelled to Cait Sith. The bump on his head glowed green, then sank back into his skull.

"Get rid of the magic side first!" Barret roared as she shot at the monster.

"Which side is the magic side!" Sango asked frantically.

"The purple one!" Barret shouted back.

"Right! HIRAKOTSU!" Sango threw her boomerang. It hit the purple side of Lost Number and flew back to her.

"WIND SCAR!" The wind scar zoomed through Lost Number. It didn't do any visible damage.

"No use!" Red yelled. "We need to use summons!"

"Wait!" Cait Sith sprang back up. His limit brake had broken out. His body (and the moogle he was riding on) glowed red as the white moogle shook a fist. "DICE!" Two dice fell to the floor. Each had six dots facing up. Red light flared from the dice and hit Lost Number with extreme force. The light sizzled through Lost Number's body and sent some of it flying. The monster roared with pain. Deep, burning gashes had appeared on its face, arms, and the midsection of its body. More burns dotted its back, and parts of its sides were cut off. "Whoohoo!" Cait Sith yelled. Cloud closed his eyes.

"SHIVA!" He thought, concentrating. Everyone and everything disappeared. That was, everyone and everything weren't visible to the monster. They were all outside a magical summon barrier that protected them and their surroundings from the attacks of the summon monster. A bright, blinding light appeared and Shiva emerged from it. Her skin and hair were as blue as water; her skin vibrant. Shimmering lights sparkled all around her as she lifted her right hand gracefully while descending. Her hand lowered and she cast Diamond Dust on Lost Number. Great icicles shot up under Lost Number, going right through its body, freezing some of its insides. The monster roared again with pain as the icicles retracted and Shiva vanished. Everything was returned to normal.

"Whoa!" Inuyasha said. "What was that?"

"A summon," Cloud answered, attacking the enemy. He sliced Lost Number and successfully gave it another long gash.

"Summon?"

"Yeah, when we call upon a summon monster to attack."

"…okay. I didn't get a word you said, but there's no time for that." Red was standing, hunched over as he concentrated on his summon and the monster in front of him. He willed the summon to come.

"Ramuh…use your Judgment Bolt!" Everyone, again, entered that transparent, ghost-like state where they would be safe from Ramuh. A sky appeared. It darkened, black clouds swirling across it, and bolts of lighting shot down towards a spot on the ground. A large mountain erupted from the ground. On top of it stood an old man, with a long, white beard. He wore the robes of a priest's and a talisman of bones around his neck. He was also holding a long, magic staff, brandishing it in front of him like a spear. He raised the staff. A huge, powerful, blinding bolt of lightning streaked from the boiling sky and hit Lost Number. A deep gouge was now in the monster's back. It nearly screamed with pain as everyone returned to the battle. "Yeah!" Red whooped. "That's _bound_ weaken it a lot!" Lost Number gave a deafening roar and held out its arms. Bolt 2 flashed and struck Tifa. Her whole body sizzled and she knelt, critically hurt.

"Tifa!" Kagome shouted, about to run over.

"Cure 2!" the young woman gasped. Purple sparkles fell around her and she glowed momentarily. Her cuts, bruises, and injuring mended and she got back on her feet. Kagome blinked.

"Well…that was quick." Red light engulfed Tifa.

"BEAT RUSH!" Tifa's fists and feet glowed, turning as hard as rocks. She sped up to Lost Number and started boxing it furiously. The monster screeched in pain as the young woman pummeled it. After a few seconds, her fists and feet stopped glowing, and she had to retreat. Tifa had inflicted quite a lot of damage, though. The monster now sported bruises around the lower part of its body. Cid jumped forward, cigarette in mouth, and drove the Trident into Lost Number's side. It howled, for Cid had left a nasty-looking hole in its side. The beast kept on howling and swung its arms, like bullwhips. It managed to knock Yuffie and Barret into the wall. Tifa spun around and raised her arms.

"Cure!" she yelled. Yuffie's bruises and cuts were healed slightly. Tifa yelled cure again, and Barret was back on his feet. Yuffie's body started glowing red. Her limit brake had broken out. A smile curled her lips.

"GREASED LIGHTNING!" The deadly shruiken zipped through the monster with double speed and force. Barret also used his limit brake, Mindblow. A great blue ball of energy formed at the mouth of his machine-arm. It was blasted right at the enemy. Some of Lost Number's MP was sapped. The monster suddenly started quaking. It convulsed and stretched, then the purple side suddenly disappeared, leaving the red, spiky-headed side. Yuffie used sense. The magic allowed her to temporarily use sense vision, and she saw that Lost Number was nearly transparent, which meant it was almost at its end. It was glowing with a strong, white light though, which meant that it still had a lot of MP. "It's nearly dead, so a few more blows should do it! But it still has tons of MP!" Yuffie called. The red, gloopy, spiky-headed thing slowed for a moment.

"Oh no," Cloud whispered. Then the huge thing attacked with Lost Blow, striking Sango, Cid, Kagome, and Tifa. Vincent retaliated by shooting six bullets at it with D-blow.

"KAGOME!" Inuyasha screamed as Miroku cried,

"SANGO!" Both men ran to the fallen girls.

"Tifa! Cid!" Cloud, Barret, Yuffie, Red, and Cait Sith yelled. Barret and Cloud threw the contents of two bottles of red, sparkling powder onto them. Vincent turned to the weak warriors. He held out his arms in an almost "bow to the mighty Vincent" like way and softly said,

"Cure 2." Tifa's eyes shone as she looked at him, fully healed.

"Thank you."

"Thanks man." Cid nodded his head. Cait Sith threw two more bottles of phoenix down on Kagome and Sango. They opened their eyes weakly.

"Cure 2!" Tifa said twice.

"Kagome! Are you alright?" Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders. The schoolgirl smiled.

"I'm fine Inuyasha." Inuyasha knelt down, looking at her worriedly.

"Why didn't you hide behind me? Then you wouldn't have gotten hurt!" Kagome looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"I couldn't, with you jumping all over the place and using the wind scar. Anyway, I'd be a nuisance to you." Inuyasha frowned.

"No you wouldn't. I promised Koga and myself that I wouldn't let you get hurt like that again. Stay near me, at least." Then the hanyo bowed his head. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you…" He looked away. Kagome felt something warm spreading inside her. She smiled again.

"Oh, Inuyasha." She threw her arms around him. He started, surprised. Then he draped his arms around her and held her close to him.

"Kagome," he whispered into her hair. "Don't you ever _dare_ get hurt like that again. Promise?"

"Promise," Kagome replied softly.

Miroku stroked Sango's hair, talking to her in a soothing voice. The demon slayer smiled up at him.

"Aw, they're in love," Tifa commented while Barret and Cid rolled their eyes. Yuffie broke in.

"Um, guys? Now is hardly the time to be getting all lovey-dovey." They all jumped in time to avoid a blow from Lost Number. Vincent closed his eyes, holding out his arms again, in that "bow to the mighty Vincent" pose.

"Odin…come help my friends and I before they are in grave danger…" The sky darkened and poured rain as a skeletal knight riding a bone-white horse with many legs appeared. The sky thundered with lighting and rumbled. The knight's horse bucked and he threw his long, fatally-pointed spear shot into the clouds. All cleared for a moment…then the spear shot from the sky and speared the red beast below. The lethal spear shot right into Lost Number's heart. It gave a ghostly cry of pain and twitched in crazy angles as everyone returned to the battle.

"Whoa!" Cloud shouted. "That was a major hit!" Barret used demi on the monster. Then Cloud and Yuffie both used bolt2. Cait Sith used ice. Miroku struck Lost Number using his staff (of course, it did little damage). Cloud jumped forward and cut straight through the monster. It roared - a last deafening roar - and disappeared. Lost Number was defeated at last. Cloud walked over and picked up the two jewel shards that were lying on the floor. He began to pocket them, but…

"Hey!" Inuyasha barked. Cloud turned around.

"What?"

"How come _you_ get to keep the jewel shards?"

"Well…we _did_ fight the most," Red said.

"That's true," Kagome agreed. "You can keep them." Inuyasha spun around.

"WHAT!" he yelped.

"Come on, they got them fair and square. We're also on the same side, so yeah."

"Grr…" Inuyasha growled angrily, but said no more.

"So…four jewel shards." Tifa sighed. "Slow progress, but at least Scott and the others don't have to worry anymore."

"That was one hellava monster…and one hellava battle." Cid lit a cigarette. Vincent went out the door.

"Vincent?" Red looked at him.

"Let us leave this place. I do not want to see Hojo's lab any longer." Red nodded. AVALANCHE and the Inuyasha-tachi trooped out the door, weary but triumphant.

°" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °"

Tifa knocked on the door. A boy opened it.

"Hey Scott!" Scott brightened.

"Hi Tifa! Hi Cloud!" He looked at all the others. "Did you get the thing that's making the noises?" Cloud nodded.

"It's gone." Scott whooped.

"Yay! Thanks Cloud, Tifa, and everyone! Please come in!" All the warriors collapsed onto the sofa, chairs, and floor. Yuffie sat next to the boy.

"So Scotty, whacha got here?" Scott shifted through the board games.

"Mmmm…I have Chocobo Chase", Midgar Zolom Attack", The Great Materia Hunt", Do You Know Your Turks?", Element", and Summon!"." Yuffie squealed.

"Oooh, materia! I wanna play The Great Materia Hunt"!" Scott took out the pieces and instruction manual.

"Let's see… to play, we have to put all these pieces face down. Then we shuffle these cards and try to answer questions on materia. If we answer a card correctly, we can randomly pick a piece. If you get a piece that has a materia on it, you get the certain materia the piece says. But if you get a piece that has a monster on it, you have to fight it with your current materia. If you loose, a random materia from you will go to the previous player. If you battle the monster and win, you get all the materia it possesses. If you just a piece that's blank, you do nothing. The person with the most materia when all the cards are used up wins. Here are the materia." He held up a box full of green, yellow, blue, purple, and red marbles. "Up to four people can play. We each get two starting materia. We can choose from fire, ice, lighting, poison, or gravity." Yuffie grabbed a green marble that said "fire" on it, and another green marble that said "poison" on it. Scott took a green "ice" marble and a green "lightning" marble. He and Yuffie started drawing cards.

go, Miroku, and Shippo took Chocobo Chase". Barret, Cid, and Cait Sith played Midgar Zolom Attack". Cloud, Tifa, Red, Inuyasha, and Kagome opened up Do You Know Your Turks?". They sat next to Vincent, who looked slightly annoyed. There were two stacks of cards. One pile of cards were the photos of the Turks, with their names. The other pile was a set of questions.

"So," said Cloud, picking up a question card. "This turk loves to dance, joke around, has blond hair that falls over his face, but has a deadly shot. Who is he?" Everyone looked dumbfounded.

"Um," said Tifa, looking at the photos. "There are at least ten guys here that have hair falling over their faces, out of which at least five that have blond hair." Cloud shrugged, then turned the card upside down and read the miniscule words with a magnifying glass.

"Sterling Norman." He shrugged again. "Never heard of him." Tifa took the next card.

"This turk is known for his passion of women. He likes to drink, chat, flirt, and joke around, but he is loyal to his friends and attacks with vigor. Who is he?" She smiled. "This one's easy."

"Reno!" Cloud, Tifa, and Red said in unison. Tifa picked up the photo of a flaming-red haired turk who was slouched in a kind of "cool" way and smirking. Inuyasha blinked.

"He looks weird."

"He looks young," Kagome commented.

"Yeah," Cloud replied. "He's only 21. Same as me." He passed Red a card. The creature stared at it.

"Um…this turk is serious, was the leader, and gives out hard orders, but is also known to have a secret (or not so secret) crush on an Ancient. And he is…?"

"Tseng!" Cloud exclaimed. "I know he likes…or liked Aeris…" He trailed off as he looked at Tseng's photo.

"Right," said Tifa quickly, stuffing a card into Kagome's hand. "What does it say?"

"Er…" Kagome squinted at the card. "The one of the only women to have ever joined the turks. She gets very stressed and sometimes accidentally blurts out classified information. This woman of the turks is…?"

"Elna," Cloud, Tifa, and Red said at once. Red took a photo of a woman with short blond hair. Inuyasha took the next card.

"This turk was once the leader of the turks, many years ago. He was stern, upright, and strict, but would occasionally make jokes and hang out with friends. He was probably the best turk there ever was, for every one of his targets never lived. His steps were silent and aim was deadly. However, he disappeared one day, and nobody has heard from him ever since." Beside the group, Vincent stiffened, though this was unnoticed by anyone.

"Hm…" Cloud's brow was furrowed and he was frowning. "I remember hearing about the turks talking about their…er, cold-hearted, great leader or something, but I can't remember his name." Tifa blinked.

"Well, I've never heard of him." Red shook his head.

"Neither have I." They all turned to Vincent.

"Hey Vince, you used to be in the turks, right? You know this guy?" Cloud asked.

"…no."

"Oh. Well…I suppose we're just gonna have to look." Cloud turned the card upside down and prepared to lift the magnifying glass over it when Vincent snatched the card away. "Hey!" Cloud cried indignantly.

"…this is none of your business."

"Come on Vince, it's a game!"

"…" Red cocked his head.

"Why are you so touchy about this guy?"

"…" Tifa grinned.

"I know! You guys must've been best friends, and you don't want us poking into his life!"

"…sure."

"OHMYGAWD, Vinnie said SURE!" Yuffie bounded over, clutching a fist full of marbles. "What could've made Vinnie said 'sure', I wonder?" She spotted the card in Vincent's right hand, and before he knew what she was doing, Yuffie had grabbed the card and was reading it.

"Yuffie, give that to me."

"Wow, I didn't know you had a best friend Vinnie!"

"…give that here." Yuffie snatched the magnifying glass.

"Oooh, what's his name?"

"No-"

"Vincent Valentine." There was a long moment when everyone was silent. Vincent was filled with dread. This was it. They would turn on him…

"COOL VINNIE!" The sniper looked up, startled. The young ninja was waving around a photo. "Your best friend looks sorta like you, acts sorta like you, and has the same first name as you! WOW!"

"Whoa, cool!"

"Awesome!"

"Lucky!"

"You guys must've been like brothers!"

"I'd say that's nice, knowing you had a best friend!" Vincent was rather taken aback. He sighed inwardly. Were they really that stupid? At least he didn't have to worry…

"I would think that this guy was you, except that you sure don't joke around and hang out with friends!" Cloud laughed.

"…right." Tifa was quiet. She stared at Vincent.

"This guy…this powerful leader of the turks…he _is_ you, isn't he? I overheard Aeris asking you what your full name was, one night…and you answered _Vincent Valentine_." Cloud stopped laughing and everyone was silent. Vincent looked away.

"…Vincent Valentine…the leader of the turks…_was_ me. Unfortunately, he is gone." Everyone was completely shocked.

"You mean," Cloud said disbelievingly, "that the turk that did all those daring, heartless, and reckless things was _you_?"

"…"

"WHOA. _This_ is what you looked like before?" Yuffie asked, eyes popping.

"Make jokes?" Cait Sith repeated.

"Hang with friends?" Cid goggled at the man.

"You were the LEADER of the TURKS!" Barret yelped.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Red asked quietly.

"..was there any need to tell you exactly who I was before?"

"What is this guy talking about?" Inuyasha asked impatiently.

"Beats me." Miroku shrugged. Barret glared at Vincent.

'If you were the leader of the damn turks, how do we know if you ain't with em now?"

"Barret!" Tifa said reproachfully.

"What? What if he's a damn spy for the #!$$ Shinra?"

"Barret! You're-"

"Do not continue Tifa. Nothing will go through his abnormally thick head." Vincent turned to the outraged and suspicious Barret. "Just think. Would I still work with Shinra after what Hojo did to Lucrecia and I?"

"Well, that's Hojo! It ain't Shinra!"

"…Shinra supports Hojo."

"Well…um…well…that ain't…um…dammit." Cloud smiled at Vincent.

"I was in Soldier before. Not anymore though. That's nothing to be worried about. We all trust you." Cloud shot a look at Barret. He grunted. Cloud got up.

"We've got our supplies, cleared the mansion, and got two new jewel shards. We should be going." Everyone got up. Yuffie winked at Scott.

"It was nice playing with ya Scotty." Scott grinned.

"Right back at you." Scott watched sadly as they all left. "Bye Cloud! Bye Tifa! Bye Yuffie! Bye everyone!" Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie waved.

"See ya Scott!"

"Bye Scott!"

"Catcha later Scotty!" Trooping off into the wild, the group laugh, carefree and strong.

* * *

AHH! As Cid would say, "That was a hellava long chapter!" 15 pages of Microsoft Works Word Processor. Lol. Not much to say here but…well, don't except each chapter to get longer and longer. I don't know what got into me when I typed this up. The original chapter on paper was like…two-thirds this size. o.0 Anyhow, review! And please remember to tell me how well I did on the battle scene. 


	7. The Big Switch

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

Heheh…the end of the last chapter probably wasn't that good, but it was supposed to be just a filler. To make the chapter longer, ya know? So it doesn't really have anything to do with the plot. Just to let everyone know. Oh, and here are a few replies to some reviewers. I _did_ get pretty angry at a reviewer, and for those who I'm _not_ angry at, you can just skip it. XD

**Rose Flame**: Oh. Hm…that's weird. If Cloud only says "Let's mosey" twice, then why do some fanfictions say that it's his "famous saying"? -shrugs- Lol, no, I love you reviewing. It's great feedback, so please continue! I had _such_ a hard time beating Lost Number. Took me around 11 tries before I actually figured out a strategy. -shakes head- Ah well, the ending of the last chapter has nothing to do with the plot. Sorry if I got some information on. My FFVII info is kinda…blurred. It's not really that important, so we can just pass it off.

**VincentValentine13**: Lol, yeah, the others were pretty dense for that little incident. I read your update! Love the chapter, though I don't like Eric much now. He's so selfish; Vincent saved his life like so many times and then he treats Vincent like that. How could he? Can you tell Eric that I hate him for treating Vincent that way? lol. Eh…the board game manufacturers…well, actually, Do You Know Your Turks?" is a trivia game. I think I probably like Midgar Zolom Attack" the most. The Great Materia Hunt" is a little boring. Lol, I wish they were real games.

**Charan-Amaya**: Sorry if Vincent wasn't the leader of the turks; I just see that in so many fanfics that it got me confused. Well, I've made the attacks of the Inuyasha people much weaker than the people from FFVII because…well, there's mako in their world, so I suppose it strengthens them. Inuyasha won't have the Diamond Spike attack yet because the Inuyasha timing is a little before all the Mt. Hakurei episodes (so, when their worlds combined, Inuyasha and people hadn't encountered the Band of Seven yet). No, I've never seen the Japanese stuff because they don't really play Japanese stuff where I live. It's all in English, and I can't understand Japanese anyway. I am really sure that Vincent _isn't_ Sephiroth's father (that notion kinda disturbs me actually) because there is a lot of evidence about that, but it doesn't matter as Sephiroth's father (whoever he is) isn't going to take part in this story, so no biggie there. Lol, I don't mind if you review more than once. I just don't like people who review in every single chapter saying "Wow, this is great!", and then in then next chapter, "love it!" or something like that. There's no need for them to say that for every chapter, just at the end of the latest chapter or so. But you people are special since you're all my first reviewers. Feel honored! Lol. Yeah, about the "hanyou" issue. I know that "hanyou", "Sesshoumaru', and "Shippou" is the Japanese-English way of spelling it, like "Tessaiga". The English way (the way they have it on the shows in North America - or where I live - anyway) is "hanyo", "Sesshomaru", and "Shippo". So I go by the way they display it here, not the Japanese-English way. I only go by "Tessaiga" since I can never remember how to spell the "North American" way of spelling Tessaiga. XD

**Kiome-Yasha**: Ok, I'm normally not this…er, rude towards people, but the things you said in your review really turn me off. One note first: I know you said you love my story, and that's great, but the way you expressed your feelings, I really don't think you actually respect the story. First of all, I don't _care_ about your opinions towards Tifa and Cloud couplings. I support Cloud and Aeris very much (in case you haven't read my profile, but I suppose not everyone reads profiles, so I'll tell you here). I don't care if Aeris is dead; in fact, her being dead is a big part of the plot in this story. That's why I didn't have the story in the time when she was alive. I know that Cloud used to have a crush on Tifa when they were little, but now the tables have turned. In case you haven't noticed, there isn't really any strong evidence stating that Cloud still has the same big crush on her now, especially with all that he's been through. Thanks for apologizing to me for treating me like your punch bag in your first review, and you probably _are_ trying to be polite about this, but I don't consider "I just don't like that fact that you made it as brother excure _shit_." I'll tell you this now and you'd better look carefully. If you don't like the fact that I made whatever relationship Cloud and Tifa had into a brother/sister sort, then don't read this fanfiction. Don't review, don't comment, and just _leave_. I'm sorry for being so blunt here, but I really hate it when people express THEIR OWN opinions rudely to the person who takes time and energy to write a fanfiction. If you think that telling me quite rudely that you want this fanfiction to have a Cloud and Tifa coupling will work, you thought wrong. When I thought out the plot of this story, they only had a brother/sister relationship. That was it. You want TifaxCloud (or Clotif, as some people put it)? Then go find Clotif fanfics. This is not one, and don't give me all your opinions about what Cloud and Tifa deserves. If you wanted to suggest that you think Cloud should at least show more compassion towards Tifa, you could've done it nicely. Politely, and give me suggestions, as the other people who have reviewed this had done. They were nice and kind. _You_, on the other hand…well, I'm gonna end this. There's no point wasting so much time tell you this. So, you wanna keep on with this fanfic? Keep these petty thoughts to yourself and do what polite people do. PS. You know this thing you said? "Don't make it sappy like that in their relationship when it's obviously something more." You know what? Don't tell me what to do. As someone had stated before, the plot belongs to me, and the fanfiction. Not the characters or anything, but everything else. Oh yeah, and if you wanna rant back at me or something, email me. Don't put it in a review. I don't want other people having to read through all your stuff when they're just here to read a fanfiction. T.T

Ahhh, that was long. Sorry to Charan-Amaya, Roseflame, VincentValentine13, or anyone else who's reading this fanfiction, if you still read through the little rant above. You guys have been great, unlike some people. It's really disrespectful, how some people do that. All they know is to criticize and complain about what they think is right. How self-centered.

I have a VERY IMPORTANT THING TO TELL YOU. DON'T CONTINUE READING until you've read this note. I know that Cait Sith is actually a robot controlled by Reeve, but I really like him, and I just want him to have a life of his own. So, in this fanfiction, Cait Sith still has feelings and stuff; it's just that Reeve can control him to do certain things (the way Naraku controls Kohaku) if need be. So…I guess Cait Sith has a soul. Go Cait Sith! Since there was a big battle before, I'm gonna add some fun in this chapter. I had this idea in my head and just couldn't help writing a few chapters up on it. Oh, and the time actually passes by more quickly than it seems. It probably only seems like they've met for a week or so, but it's actually longer than that. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 7 - The Big Switch

Shippo blinked. He bent down and peered at the flower before him. It was the weirdest flower he had every seen. Its petals were red, blue, purple, pointy, round, spotted, or striped. It's center was brown and slightly fuzzy like that of a sunflower's. Its stem had thorns, but the leaves weren't those of a rose's. They were soft and were covered in a white fuzz. Shippo sniffed the flower. It smelled very nice…much like some of the "perfume" stuff Kagome sometimes wore. It made him feel sleepy.

"Whoa…what kind of flowers _are_ these? They look so strange." Sango prodded one of them. "Mmm…they smell nice…mmm…I feel tired." She sat down. Keeling over, she fell asleep. Shippo was also asleep.

"Sango! Now is not the time to be sleeping!" Miroku went over into the flower field to wake Sango. His eyes closed. Falling backwards, he lay on the flowers next to Sango. Inuyasha's sensitive nose picked up the aroma. His eyelids started to droop. Kagome shook him frantically.

"No! Inuyasha! Don't fall asleep!" Inuyasha fell against her, snoring. Cloud took a step back.

"Everyone, get back! Don't breathe the scent, it'll…it'll make…you…fall…asleep…" Cloud fell over. Kagome was next. Then Red. Then Kirara. Then Tifa. Then Yuffie. Then Barret. Then Vincent. Then Cait Sith. The whole group had fallen asleep from the aroma of the flowers. The plants started to disappear as the sun rose. They vanished, leaving everyone lying on the ground peacefully in their wake.

°" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °"

Shippo woke up. He yawned, stretching his thin, furry arms. He was lying on something. Something big. White. With wings. Shippo looked down.

"YEEEEAAHHHHHH!" Everyone woke immediately.

"Where's the fire?" Cloud said stupidly. Shippo jumped up and down, yelling. Cloud stared. "What's the matter Cait?" Cloud stopped. His voice sounded different. It was higher. It was sort of familiar. It was…girlish. He looked down and did exactly what Shippo did. He yelled. He was in Yuffie's body! Shippo continued yelling, then jumped into Kagome's arms. Or who he thought was Kagome.

"Kagome! I'm in a different body! I'm not in my body!" "Kagome" looked down.

"Um…you're Shippo, right?" Shippo nodded. "I'm not Kagome. I'm Red." Shippo stared. Then he jumped back onto the white moogle.

"N-n-not Kagome? Where's Kagome?"

"I'm right here Shippo." Cid's body stepped forward. Shippo squeaked.

"_You're_ Kagome?"

"Yes."

"Eh…" Kagome smiled wryly.

"I'm in Cid's body."

"OH MY GAWD! Who are you?" Miroku stepped forward, towards Yuffie's body.

"Yuffie, is that you? I'm Cloud!"

"CLOUD! OH MY GAWD!"

"Speak for yourself!" Cloud said, goggling at her. He heard someone swearing loudly. He turned around.

"WHAT THE HELL! WHAT JUST HAPPENED HERE? WHY AM I IN THIS GUY'S BODY!" yelled Vincent's body. Cid's body turned around.

"Inuyasha?" Vincent's body stared at her.

"Kagome…is that you?"

"Yeah."

"WHAT THE-? THEN WHO'S IN _YOUR_ BODY!"

"Red. Wow…it looks so weird. I mean, Vincent yelling and screaming. Except you aren't Vincent." Kagome smiled. Cloud looked around.

"Hey Vince? Where are you?"

"…here," Inuyasha's body said. Vincent actually managed to make Inuyasha's face blank and emotionless, his voice flat and calm.

"Um…Cloud?" Cloud turned and found himself staring at…himself. He blinked.

"Wha-?" "Cloud" smiled.

"I'm Sango." Sango's body came over.

"Cloud! Sango! It's me, Tifa!" Barret's body also came over.

"Sango! It is I, Miroku!" He looked at her dismally. "But…you're not a woman anymore. I can't…never mind." Sango (Cloud's body) glared at him. They heard a yell/shout/shriek from Cid's body, who was Kagome. She (or he) was staring at Shippo's body, which was swearing colorfully.

"How did I get stuck in this fricken damn $! pipsqueak's body! What the !$# hell!" Sango and Miroku couldn't help it. They started laughing at the sight of Shippo's body, jumping up and down and swearing. "Whacha all &# laugh's at!" Cid (in Shippo's body) yelled. Red's body bounded over.

"Hi! I'm Cait Sith." Tifa's body strode over.

"Yo. Hey Tifa, I'm Barret." He looked at Cloud. "Oh. So spiky ass is now the brat." Yuffie (in Miroku's body) glared.

"Hey!" Barret snickered. Tifa gaped at him.

"Wow…you're…you're ME!" Barret nodded grimly. Inuyasha and Kagome came over.

"Hey Vincent," Cloud said to Vincent's body. He blinked. "Wait…no, sorry, _you'r_e Vincent.

" He turned to Inuyasha's body.

"Hi Miroku. Hi Sango," Kagome said to the two. Red walked to them.

"We're going to have a hard time remembering who everyone is," he commented. Cid and Shippo jumped over.

"This is _weird_," Shippo told the group nervously. Cid growled.

"I'm still stuck in this fricken !#!& body!" Tifa smiled.

"Poor you, Cid."

"You're damn right it's poor me! Whacha laugh'n at!" the pilot yelled viciously at Sango and Miroku.

"It's just-" Sango giggled.

"Shippo's body is swearing in such an un-Shippo-ish way!" Miroku exclaimed, laughing crazily.

"It's…so…funny!" Sango choked.

"Heehee…hi Red! I'm you!" Cait Sith said cheerfully to Kagome's body. Red blinked five times.

"Uh…this is…_really_ strange."

"What caused this, though?" Kagome wondered.

"Um…" Cloud looked around.

"…if you have not noticed, we all fell asleep from the aroma of the strange flowers. They are now gone." Vincent glanced across the empty field.

"You mean, the FLOWERS caused this!" Inuyasha yelped, staring at his body.

"Apparently."

"I think I've heard about these flowers," Red said slowly. "If you get affected…you have to wait for a week before the effects wear off."

"We have to wait a WHOLE WEEK before we change back!" Yuffie screamed. Red nodded.

"Well," Tifa sighed. "What an inconvenience. We'd better learn each other's attacks quickly, in case we have to fight."

"Not really," Miroku cut in. "I can still use my staff and fight. Cloud can still use his sword. Yuffie can still use her shruiken, Kagome can still use her bow and arrows, Sango can still use her Hirakotsu, and Inuyasha can still use the Tessaiga…or at least, I think."

"What do you mean, _you think_?" Inuyasha yelled. Miroku recoiled slightly.

"Well, Inuyasha, seeing as you _are_ in a different body…well, only a hanyo can use the Tessaiga. Vincent is either a human or a demon, so I'm assuming that he can't use the Tessaiga." Inuyasha growled angrily.

"Dammit!"

"Alright," said Cloud. Sango passed him the Force Stealer. He grunted a little, but had enough strength and experience to lift it. He took a few swings. "Still good." Sango threw her Hirakotsu easily.

"Wow. You're strong," she said to Cloud. He grinned.

"I can fight nicely," Tifa said. Yuffie threw her shruiken, and the priest's robes she (or Miroku) wore fluttered around her.

"Great!" Kagome shot an arrow.

"Perfect," she remarked. Miroku frowned.

"What do I do, point my arm and fire?"

"Yeah," Barret grunted as he boxed a tree. Miroku tried. He teetered backwards and got knocked back a little. "Ya just need a little practice," Barret told him. "Amateur," he muttered. Miroku, not hearing the last remark, hesitated.

"Um…I can still fight with my staff, thanks."

"Heh." Cait Sith chuckled nervously as he looked at his claws and the dangerous headdress perched on his head. "This shouldn't be too hard…" He charged at a tree.

"Not bad," Red commented. "Since I can't really do anything now, I'll just cast magic."

"Um…" Shippo peered at the Black M-phone he was holding.

"Just shout 'attack' at the tree," Cait Sith advised. Shippo breathed.

"Here goes nothing. ATTACK!" he shouted, into the M-phone. The mog jumped forward and attacked the tree. "Yay!" Shippo shouted joyously. Cid looked dubiously at his weapon. He greatly doubted that he had enough strength to lift it.

"Well, I might as well try," he grumbled. He inserted his little paws under the gap between the spear and the ground. He heaved. Cid tugged and pulled, but couldn't even lift the weapon a millimeter off the ground. Cid gave up after a few minutes of tugging, and foul words erupted from his mouth.

"This is just FINE! DAMN THIS STUPID #&$&# THING TO HELL! WHY CAN'T I EVEN FRICKEN #$#& LIFT MY WEAPON UP! WHY DID I GET STUCK IN THIS WEAK & BODY! ARRRGH!" Everyone looked at him, feeling sorry for him.

"Ah well Cid. We'll just have to cover for ya!" Yuffie said cheerfully. Cid growled, muttering under his breath. Vincent looked at the Tessaiga. He pulled it out and handed it to Inuyasha. Inuyasha stared at the offered handle, sure that the sword wouldn't transform. Even if it did, it would be too heavy for the body he was in. He grasped the handle. He was right; the sword _didn't_ transform. In fact…the barrier rejected him!

"What the-!" Inuyasha glared at Vincent. "So you _are_ a demon!" Vincent said nothing. He took the Sniper CR and shot a cherry high up in a tree. He calmly blew the top of the smoking barrel.

"So Inuyasha, how did it go?" Kagome asked.

"I can't use my Tessaiga! The barrier rejected me! And you all were saying that he wasn't a demon." Inuyasha glared at Cloud and the others, who all looked innocently back at him. "This body's so weak I probably won't be able to move a boulder or something." The members of AVALANCHE stopped and looked at each other.

"Actually," Tifa began.

"You'll be surprised at how strong Vincent is," Cloud finished. "He's probably one of the strongest members in our group." Inuyasha gaped at him.

"WHAT!" He snorted. "That's probably all just talk."

"Well," Barret grunted. "He's stronger than me." Inuyasha looked at Barret's body. He raised his eyebrow.

"Try ripping up some tree roots with the claw," Red suggested. Inuyasha looked at the claw disdainfully, then stuck his left arm into the ground and pulled up a tree root with little difficulty. He was pretty shocked at the man's strength, seeming as he _did_ look pretty weak. Inuyasha pulled up a few more tree roots.

"I…it…grrr…" Inuyasha looked at everyone else, grumbling. "I suppose I can use the Iron Reaver Soul Stealer."

"Great!" Kagome exclaimed. "Anyway…I don't really think we should look for jewel shards cause of our current situation…" She sighed. "I hope this is over soon…how'll I get back home? But then, I just left like a week ago, so she probably won't worry if I come back like, a month later…" Kagome thought. "Does anyone know a good place to stop for a few days?" she asked.

"Well…" Tifa hesitated, then continued. "If none of you mind a little walking, we can go to Costa Del Sol."

"Costa Del Sol? What's that?" Miroku asked.

"It's a really nice beach resort," Tifa answered.

"But the villa is really expensive!" Yuffie exclaimed! "And I don't want to live in the hotel if we're going there. It's too small." Red frowned.

"How much gil do we have?"

"Um…" Cloud checked the gil inventory. "31,297."

"Only? We need at least 50,000 gil to last a whole week!" Cait Sith said, frustrated.

"How about we go for 3 days?" Sango suggested.

"Mmm…that would cost 22,500 gil," Red murmured.

" Alright. But we have to sell some stuff…I don't want us to go broke." Cloud sorted through the item inventory. "Um…we could sell a mind source, a power source, and some old weapons."

"I'll sell my Metal Knuckles! And anything else I can find," Tifa offered.

"I'll do my Mythril Sword," Cloud decided.

"Um…White M-phone?" Cait Sith asked. Everyone nodded.

"And fight some enemies!" Barret announced.

"You betcha!" Yuffie agreed. Cid grumbled some more.

"Well, I suggest that we stop talking and start walking," Miroku said. Everyone fell silent. They had gone about fifty yards when before Kagome spoke.

"Hey, Vincent? Can you…I mean, are you able to use the Wind Scar?" Inuyasha froze. he watched Vincent.

"…I have not tried yet."

"Well, try now," Sango urged. Vincent frowned slightly, but took out the Tessaiga. It transformed. He swung the sword down. A beam of light erupted from the Tessaiga and swept over the ground, gouging a long gash into the ground.

"He…he can use it," Inuyasha thought. "Grrrr…" Vincent sheathed the sword.

"You did it!" Kagome cried. She smiled.

"What's so good about that!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Um…nothing."

"Hmph."

"What's wrong with you?" Kagome asked him, looking at him weirdly.

"Nothing."

"I'd say he's a little _jealous_," Yuffie teased.

"Shut up!" Inuyasha growled. "Anyway, what would I be jealous about?" Yuffie shrugged.

"I dunno." Kagome sighed exasperatedly.

"There's nothing Inuyasha needs to be jealous about. He's already jealous enough with Koga." Inuyasha stiffened at hearing Koga's name. Kagome glanced at him. "See what I mean?"

"You know…it's really weird seeing Vincent so…emotional. Except he's not Vincent. And seeing everyone else acting the way they are, like Cid being Shippo, swearing and all," Cloud commented.

"Yes. Or to see Inuyasha so unemotional. Why, it's very surprising to see Inuyasha, although he isn't Inuyasha, not yelling just by hearing Kagome mention Koga," Miroku added.

"Stop talking about me!" Inuyasha yelled.

"…" Vincent said nothing. Everyone continued walking. Kagome gasped as she suddenly remembered something.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked quietly.

"What?"

"What if…I mean, what if we meet Sesshomaru? You still don't really know how to fight in Vincent's body…"

"Well…we'll just have to pretend that everything's all right."

"But…nobody knows how to act like each other!"

"Oh, I know how Yuffie acts," Cloud said, smiling.

"I know how to be Red!" Cait Sith said cheerfully. He faltered at Red's look. "Ah…well, at least I have a vague idea of how to be Red." Sango spoke.

"We don't really need you guys to act like each other. Sesshomaru doesn't know any of you. Only the people that are Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Shippo, and I have to act normal. So that means…um…Vincent, Red, Yuffie, Cid, and Tifa have to know how to act like us."

"But…who's Sesshomaru?" Tifa asked, confused.

"Inuyasha's older brother," Kagome answered. Inuyasha smiled grimly.

"We're not exactly a close knit family." Tifa frowned.

"Meaning…you guys hate each other?"

"Duh."

"Oh."

"SO. Can we start the lessons?" Kagome interjected.

"Of course," Red said.

"Alright, so Cid? All you have to do is not swear, talk…uh…badly, act cute, and smile a lot."

"And whine," Inuyasha added.

"Hey!" Shippo cried indignantly.

"Pfft. Too bad. You _do_ whine a lot. You always go _Kaaagoooomeeeee_!" Inuyasha did a bad imitation of Shippo. Everyone laughed.

"Grr…" Shippo growled angrily.

"Try it," Sango said. Cid looked at her as though she had two heads.

"Try it? Try it! ME acting like that BRAT! There is no $$ way I'm acting like that!"

Sango frowned.

"Well, you have to!" Cid snorted.

"I won't!"

"Cid, quit acting like a baby," Yuffie said. Cid flamed.

"I'M NOT FRICKEN #$& ACTING LIKE BABY!" Cloud shook his head.

"Cid…just do it." Cid glared at him. Then he glared at everyone else. Everyone glared back. Another stream of foul words escaped Cid's mouth.

"FINE. But I'm only doing this cause of…ya'll gangin up on me." Kagome smiled.

"Alright! So try it Cid!" Cid's right eye twitched.

"Hey, Kagomeeeeee?" He made a disgusted noise.

"Perfect!" Kagome exclaimed. "Minus the noise, that is."

"This is damn embarrassing and a hellava lot harder than it should be!"

"I don't swear," Shippo reminded him.

"I wasn't swearing!"

"CID." Tifa glared at him again.

"Try it again," Cloud told him. Cid looked outraged.

"WHAT-!"

"CID!" Everyone shouted. He quieted and stared at them all with a look that promised death.

"Grrr…fine." Cid sighed. "Look at that guy Kirara, he looks so meeean."

"Great!" Sango smiled.

"To act like Kagome," Miroku explained to Red, "just act nice, caring, strong-willed, concerned for your friends, and responsible."

"Aww, Miroku!" Kagome blushed.

"And selfish," Inuyasha added. Kagome glared at him. Red nodded.

"To act like Sango, be fierce, curious, nice, and horrible to demons," Inuyasha told Tifa. Sango stared at Inuyasha.

"I won't say that was completely wrong…but…horrible to demons?"

"Well…mean then."

"…um…okay…" Tifa smiled.

"Got it!"

"To act like Miroku," Sango began, "just-"

"Feel up girls," Yuffie interrupted. "Got it!" Miroku made a face.

"I cannot believe that you would think of me like that Yuffie!" Sango giggled.

"It's not just that Yuffie. You have to act wise, kind, serious, and alert. And try not to do any perverted things since I think you'd be revolted anyway."

"Erm…okay."

"Finally, to act like Inuyasha," Kagome began.

"Be obnoxious," Sango said.

"Be arrogant," Miroku added.

"Be over reactive," Shippo supplied.

"And be rude. Basically, be a jerk," Kagome finished.

"That is SO NOT-!" Inuyasha yelled indignantly, but was cut off by the rest.

"ACT LIKE THAT!"

"You also care about your friends a lot," Kagome said as an afterthought. "Anyway, say something." Everyone turned to look at Vincent.

"…"

"Come on, try it."

"…" Cid scowled.

"I had to do. Now you do, vamp!"

"…"

"Yeah, try it Vincent," the others urged. Vincent sighed inwardly.

"Say 'you all suck'," Yuffie suggested.

"…you all suck," Vincent said emotionlessly.

"More emotion! And say it forcefully," Sango advised.

"…you all suck."

"Come on! Louder!"

"…you all suck."

"We gotta make him angry guys," Yuffie told them. She turned to Vincent. "Vinnie vinnie vinniiiiiiie!" she sang in a nagging voice. Vincent's left eye twitched slightly. Yuffie pointed. "See!" Everyone, inspired by Yuffie, started yelling at Vincent.

"Hey vamp, over here!" Cid shouted.

"Yo! Old man!"

"Vinnie vinnie VINNIIIIIIIIE!"

"Yada yada yada yada yada!"

"CooKOO! CooKOO! CooKOO! CooKOO!"

"La la la la la la lalalalala!" Shippo sang as he danced and twirled in front of Vincent's face. Vincent closed his eyes. His left eye was twitching madly now. Yuffie threw grass on his head. Vincent's eyes flew open.

"…ALL RIGHT! I'LL DO IT! JUST STOP BOTHERING ME WITH YOUR IDIOTIC ACTIONS!" Everybody quieted. Yuffie gulped and brushed off some grass from Vincent's shoulder. His eyes snapped to her. She squeaked and leapt backwards, tripping over Cait Sith.

"Um…" Miroku ventured. Vincent stared at him, eyes flashing. Miroku backed up.

"You all suck."

"Louder," Kagome told him.

"You all suck…!"

"Angrily," Shippo said. Vincent's right eye started twitching, though his left eye had stopped. Miroku decided (stupidly) to throw more grass on Vincent's head. Vincent twirled around to face him and shouted into his face.

"YOU ALL SUCK!" Miroku also squeaked and jumped backwards.

"Hm…now you actually sound like me," Inuyasha said. "Yeah…"

"You know, I just remembered…Inuyasha says 'hell', 'damn', and 'bastard' a lot," Kagome said thoughtfully.

"…"

"We should also refer to each other like we _are_ each other. I mean, like…you guys should call me Yuffie, not Cloud," Cloud suggested. "That way, we'll get used to it for a short time…at least, I hope we will."

"Right," said Barret. "Yo. I'm…Tifa. No, that doesn't sound right. Hi, I'm Tifa.."

"I'm Yuff-I mean, Miroku!"

"Vincent," Inuyasha said grudgingly.

"I'm Kagome," Red said.

"Um…yo, I'm Barret," Miroku tried.

"Cid, at your service!" Kagome cried enthusiastically. Cid stared at her.

"Er…oooookay…uh…hi! I'm Shippo."

"Sango here." Tifa smiled.

"Erm…I'm Cait Sith!" Shippo jumped up and down.

"Hey. I'm Cloud," Sango said cheerfully.

"I am Red," Cait Sith said solemnly.

"…Inuyasha," Vincent deadpanned. The continued walking.

"How much longer until we get there?" Inuyasha started complaining.

"Quite a while," Red answered. Inuyasha growled.

"Can't we just run? Then we'll get there faster."

"Well, running will tire us all out," Tifa said. "And I _said_ that it was going to be a pretty long walk."

"Ugh. I'm bored." Inuyasha grumbled and muttered under his breath. Yuffie sighed.

"Argh, Inuyasha, you're annoying." Inuyasha spun around to face her.

"You-!"

"Inuyasha, come on, be a good sport," Kagome begged.

"A good…what?"

"Sport…whatever, just stop complaining, will you?" Inuyasha looked at her pleading eyes, though they didn't have much effect on him since they were actually Cid's pleading eyes.

"Grrr…fine." Kagome smiled.

"Thanks Inuyasha."

"I still wish I had the Tessaiga." Inuyasha glared at Vincent. "Demon."

"…"

"Oh, shut up!"

"…I was not saying anything."

"I know you weren't. I was just annoyed."

"…typical."

"WHAT!"

"Inuyasha, calm down!" Kagome yelled, holding Inuyasha's right arm. She blinked. "Wait…was I supposed to call you Vincent?" She sighed. "This is so bothersome and confusing." She looked up at Inuyasha. "Okay, so I meant…uh…Vincent, calm down! Wow, it feels weird calling you Vincent, cause you're acting so un-Vincent-ish, but then it's not so weird cause you actually _are_ Vincent in a sense, but you sure don't act like him, so I suppose it's really weird…yeah…" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her.

"Uh…"

"Never mind."

"You know…actually, I think we should just talk to each other normally. I mean, if I'm talking to Cloud, I'll just call him Cloud instead of Yuffie. We can call each other the names of the people we are now when we meet someone we know," Tifa suggested. "After all…I can _never_ remember to call Cloud Yuffie or Red Kagome or…yeah." Everyone nodded.

"Look, there's Cosmo Canyon!" Cait Sith nodded towards a collection of buildings atop the canyons. "Hey, we've already passed Gongaga. Weird, I didn't see it." Cait Sith looked back. "Whoa, it's not there!" Everyone else looked back.

"Hm…that is strange," Red observed.

"What's Gongaga?" Shippo asked.

"A ruined town," Cid answered.

"At least we're at Cosmo Canyon," Yuffie sighed.

"Great! Now we just have to go past the Gold Saucer, around Corel Desert, around Mt. Corel, and we're there!" Cloud said cheerfully.

"…was that meant to be sarcastic?" Yuffie asked.

"Um…no."

"Oh."

"Look," Cid said flatly. "A fricken river. Guess we're gonna hafta swim." Barret groaned.

"I can't swim!" Cloud strapped his sword to his back and jumped into the water. Tifa did the same and Red followed. Cid grumbled.

"I feel stupid asking this, but…damn…Shippo, can I ride on big whitey too?" Shippo looked slightly surprised, but nodded. He moved over. Cid jumped onto the moogle. "Thanks kiddo."

"No problem," Shippo replied as the white moogle hopped into the water and started swimming. Miroku stared down doubtfully at the heavy body he was in.

"I hope this holds me…" He leapt into the water. Sango followed him. Yuffie whistled.

"Here goes nothing! CANNONBALL!" Cait Sith stared at the water.

"This _should_ be easy, seeing as I have four paws now…hm…but then, I always _did_ have four paws. Ah well. Whee!" He ran straight into the river and started moving quickly. Inuyasha glared at all the people in the river. Kagome stepped into the water and started swimming freestyle. Inuyasha glared at all the people in the river.

"Just leave me behind, will ya?" He ran into the river. "Wait! Kagome!" Barret sighed.

"Well, it's just you and me, Vi-" He turned around, just in time to see Vincent flip neatly and dive into the water. He preformed perfect strokes as he swam. Barret goggled at him for a minute, then shouted, "Hey! Hold on, what about me? Ya'll ain't leaving me behind, are ya? Stop Vince! How am I supposed to catch up? Ya swim like a flippin fish!" Barret stared at the water. There was no choice.

"I'm going on a suicide mission here." He took a deep breath and plunged into the water.

* * *

Wow…I think that chapter was even longer in length than the last chapter, though it probably isn't longer in words cause there were big long paragraphs in the last chapter. I know the distance from Nibelheim to Costa Del Sol is really far, but the landscape has changed a little, since the worlds have been combined and all. Anways, you guys will see in the next chapter. And I just realized that I forgot to put the title of this chapter in the notes at the bottom of Chapter 6. Sorry guys! The switch will probably be kept for…uh, three chapters (counting this one). It won't all just be fun though. Yeah, I also have another important note to make:

_Inventories are little cases or pouches (the majority will be cases) that magically shrink an item when it's put into the case or pouch. For gil inventories, it'll be the same case (the gil is magically shrunk to a very small size). Inside an inventory, there is an extra force of gravity that holds all the stuff in so that they won't fall out. Oh, and in the case of the gil inventory, each person has a separate gil case or pouch. There's a section in the gil inventory that stores personal gil, but the main section of the gil inventory contains all the group's gil. So the inventories are magically connected to each other. When someone takes gil out of the main part of their gil inventory, that amount is also reduced in everyone else's gil inventory. The amount of gil in the personal section of the inventory will not change unless the person that is holding the case or pouch at the moment removes some gil from it._

So yeah, that's the explanation of the inventory thing. Materia inventories also work the same way as the item/weapon inventory (the items and weapons are combined together into one inventory). ARGH! I got the point in the Temple of Ancients yesterday, where you have to fight the big red dragon. I KEPT DYING. And then I have to go through three minutes (yes, I timed it) of junk (Sephiroth and everyone else talking) before I can fight the dragon. The dragon is so hard to beat. I was reading these walkthroughs, and one said to haste myself and slow the dragon (which will probably work well), but I don't have one of the time materia. The dragon really likes to use Dragon's Breath (or whatever that attack's called), and it's so fast. I did't even have time to inflict lots of damage on it. One time I was really stupid; Aeris' limit break came up and I should've used Seal Evil, but I used Healing Wind instead. STUPID stupid me! Then I realized my mistake and hoped that the dragon would attack Aeris with a 250 hp or 500 hp attack, but it didn't. One thing I've noticed is that in most enemies I've fought, they really like to kill Vincent first (since I have him in my party). Weird. But I don't know, maybe they just kill the person that's in the back defense (I know I should change him to middle, but I'm too lazy to). And I can't use Galian Beast on the Red Dragon (or Ancient Dragon, whatever it's called) cause Galian Beast's Beast Flare is a fire-based attack, and the dragon sucks it up. T.T For those of you that are still confused by who's who (ex. Cloud is in Yuffie's body, in case you don't know), I'll be posting up who's who in the beginning of the next chapter since the notes here are getting too long. Anyways…the next chapter is called: Costa Del Sol. Typical, huh?

PS. Kirara didn't change at all. In fact, she probably won't be mentioned a lot. Sorry Kirara!


	8. Costa Del Sol

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

So, just as I promised. Here is the list of who had become who in the last chapter:

Inuyasha: Vincent

Vincent: Inuyasha

Kagome: Cid

Sango: Cloud

Miroku: Barret

Yuffie: Miroku

Cait Sith: Red XIII

Red XIII: Kagome

Barret: Tifa

Cid: Shippo

Tifa: Sango

Shippo: Cait Sith

Cloud: Yuffie

The switch will go on for…erm…-starts counting written chapters- about 2.5 chapters. Counting chapter 7. This chapter is mostly…erm…well, mostly junk. But some of the stuff's important, so I guess it's not completely junk. There will also be some short monster battles and things like that. -dances- I love Costa Del Sol, I love Costa Del Sol. I love the Mythril Mines even more, and I love the Gold Saucer the most! Or…at least I think I do. The story will probably be…let's see, if there's an important battle scene in one chapter, then in the next chapter or two, there'll be just fun. Well, no important battles for two chapters in a row, anyway. I shouldn't say any more here, or I might just spoil it all for you guys. I'll try to get chapters typed up quicker, but I'm pretty busy here with this typing to do, homework, updating my website, making graphics, and since I've ended an avatar contest at my website, making the prizes. And more stuff. -sweatdrop-

**Charan-Amaya**: Glad you like it…but it sounds like you _didn't_ like it. I really like the idea in fanfics of changing bodies, and Vincent/Inuyasha changing bodies kinda has something to do with the side plots of the story, so yeah. It's important. Er…what part were you horrified at? And…sorry that someone hit you in the head, but what does that have to do with this fanfic? Yes, Vincent vs. Sesshomaru. Fun! I know how you spell things is your business, I'm just saying, that's how the names are spelled in the handbook that comes with the game. Uh…are you talking about the program spell checker? Well, not all names are listed in that checker. Aries is a real name, but Aeris isn't a normal name, so it would not be in the spell checker. My last name is _always_ wrong in the spell checker for Microsoft Works Word Processor. Uh…Nanaki and Cait ate _who_? o.0 I _know_ that Cait Sith is a robot. If you didn't read the VERY IMPORTANT NOTE before the chapter starts, you'll think that's weird. I was afraid that people wouldn't read the note, so I capitalized and underlined it. I said that Cait Sith is going to have a soul, although he is controlled by Reeve. So, basically, if Reeve tells him to do something, he can't disobey. Kinda like Sephiroth controlling Cloud, I suppose. Please go back and read the note if you have time. So yes, changing Cait Sith _does_ make sense. XD

Note: I know the weapons are pretty un-updated. I know some of the weapons now, but I still have to observe while playing the game what they look like, so the characters will still be using the same old weapons. For example, Cloud is using the Force Stealer at the moment (in the fanfic). Well, he _has_ newer weapons such as the Rune Blade, the Yoshiyuki, and the Nail Bat, but he likes the Force Stealer, so he's not gonna change until he gets another weapon he likes better. Yeah, and I know the Shotgun is newer than the Sniper CR, and Vincent _has_ the Shotgun now, but he likes to use the Sniper CR. In fact, _I_ like the Sniper CR better. Its barrel is longer.

Ok, so, away with the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 8 - Costa Del Sol

He surfaced, coughing up water. Barret looked around. He was wading near the shore of the river where his friends were waiting for him. He was here. He had done it. He had swum across the river!

"Hey. You did it," Cloud said, grinning and giving Barret the thumbs up. Yuffie rolled her eyes.

"Took you long enough, slowpoke." Barret wrung out his (or Tifa's) long hair.

"…Corel Desert is gone," Vincent murmured. "It has been moved elsewhere…"

"Costa Del Sol's nearer now. It's just over there!" Tifa pointed at a port that was on a large beach.

"This is SO COOL!" Yuffie squealed (as best as she could). "We're gonna go to Costa Del Sol!"

"Yeah! We're finally gonna have some damned fun!" Cid exclaimed, momentarily forgetting his bitterness at being in Shippo's body. AVALANCHE and the Inuyasha-tachi walked under the bridge and into the town. It was the same as ever.

"Welcome to Costa Del Sol!" the lady in the booth said. Cloud walked up to the table.

"Yeah, hi. We'd like to book three nights in the villa." The lady calculated the cost.

"That will be 22, 500 gil." Cloud hesitated.

"Um…can you hold it for us? We'll be right back; I just remembered some business we had to take care of." The lady nodded and scribbled into a notebook. Cloud turned back to the others and walked towards a shop. The others followed. "We need to sell some stuff," he said.

"Oh yeah!" Tifa pulled out her Metal Knuckles. She frowned for a moment, searching. Her face brightened as she found her Power Souls. "I can sell these!" Cloud pulled out his Mythril Sword, a power source, and a mind source. Cait Sith produced his White M-phone. Vincent paused…then took out the Peacemaker. Cloud went up to the fat shopkeeper.

"Softs! Get your softs here!" the shopkeeper was calling. He spotted Cloud. "Would you

like to buy some softs young lady?" the shopkeeper asked Cloud eagerly. Cloud stopped, blinking confusedly. Young lady? Comprehension dawned on Cloud's face. Oh yeah, he was in Yuffie's body.

"Um, no. I would like to sell these things." Cloud showed the fat man the weapon and items. The shopkeeper peered at the things. He smiled.

"Yes, yes, alright. How much would you like for each of those?" Cloud grinned.

"700 gil for each of the sources and 1000 for the sword." The shopkeeper thought for a while. He nodded.

"Accepted." They exchanged items and gil.

"Great! I have 2400 gil!" Cloud thought, satisfied.

Tifa looked at her weapons. They wouldn't bring much…but she had to try. She walked

up to a clerk that was organizing his items. He looked up at her arrival.

"Oh, hello." He noticed the weapons she was holding. "Selling?" Tifa nodded. "How much?"

"Um…1000 gil for the Metal Knuckles and 2000 gil for the Power Souls?" The clerk frowned.

"What? No way! That's quite a lot. Uh…how about 400 for the Metal Knuckles and 700 for the Power Souls?"

"700 for the Metal Knuckles and 1400 for the Power Souls."

"600 for the Metal Knuckles and…hmm…1000 for the Power Souls."

"Ok!" Tifa smiled and handed the weapons to the shopkeeper as he gave her the money. Tifa walked away, looking at the bag of gil. "1600...not too bad."

Vincent took Cait Sith's White M-phone and the Peacemaker to a stall. The owner saw him and frowned slightly, looking at the dog ears on his head. He looked at the weapons.

"I'll give you 1600 gil for the gun and 1500 gil for the Black M-phone."

"2000 and 1900."

"What? That's…no. 1700 and 1600."

"…1900 and 1700." Vincent's flat tone left no room for argument. The clerk also conveniently saw the longs claws on Vincent's (or Inuyasha's) fingers. He looked nervously at the gunman and nodded quickly.

"I have…3300," Vincent thought. He shook his head and headed back to the group. Everyone met up at the entrance to the town.

"I have 2400 gil!" Cloud announced.

"Um…I've got 1600 gil," Tifa said.

"…3300," Vincent murmured.

"That's…um…7300 gil!" Red exclaimed. "Great!"

"We'll have to pay 15200 more gil from our savings," Tifa said. She sighed. "Oh well…" Cloud calculated quickly.

"That means that we'll still have 16097 gil left. That's ok, I suppose."

"Wait! What about the fight'n?" Barret interrupted. "I mean, we can still fight normal monsters. They ain't strong or powerful." Cloud blinked.

"Oh yeah…" He looked around at everybody. "Well…we can use the time to get to know each other's moves, or just…practice."

"Yeah," Kagome agreed. Everyone went outside. They instantly collided with an huge egg. Well, not an egg. A…shell thing. And another shell thing. And another. Three eggs/shell things stood in front of them. One of the eggs/shell things sent out a blade that cut Cloud's left arm. The young man (or female teenager) winced.

"Ow…that _hurt_." He glared at the egg/shell thing. Cloud leapt forward, swinging his sword, and chopped the shell. It broke into two smaller ones. Cloud groaned. "Aww…not _those_ things again!"

"Now you sound more like Yuffie," Tifa commented, smiling.

"Brat," Barret added. He kicked one of the smaller shells. Yuffie threw her Magic Shruiken at a big egg, but it also divided into two smaller ones. Vincent shot at the third big shell, which broke into two more. Kagome stared at Vincent for a moment, then started giggling (which was really disturbing, seeing as she _was_ giggling in Cid's voice). It was _really_ weird seeing Inuyasha (well, Inuyasha's body) holding a gun and shooting at enemies with such accuracy when he didn't even know what a fork was. Yuffie glanced at her, a little frightened.

"Um, Ci- I mean, Kagome? Can you stop…erm…giggling? It's _really_, _really_ scary." Kagome stopped. She smiled. "Thanks," Yuffie said as she threw her shruiken and cut two more shells. Inuyasha flexed the golden claws on his left hand.

"Time to test out my new claws." He leapt forward. "IRON REAVER SOUL STEALER!" He slashed six shells. They broke up into even smaller ones. He growled in frustration. "ARRRRRGH! They just keep dividing and getting smaller! Damn!"

"Don't worry!" Tifa called over all the ruckus. "They'll disappear once they're down to the smallest size!" Miroku looked at the enemies. Each shell was but a normal-sized egg now. How small could they get?

"Inu- I mean, Vincent! Use the Wind Scar to wipe them all out!" Sango sliced an egg and it vanished. She whipped around.

"Good idea Miroku! Do it now Vincent! Use the Wind Scar!" Inuyasha was giving Vincent the death glare. Vincent frowned slightly and looked down at the sword. If it wiped out all the shells…he could save some bullets. Which would be sensible. He drew the Tessaiga. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed. With one sweep of his arm, Vincent used the Wind Scar. The dust died down, and the shells were gone. A sack of 900 gil was on the ground, with a potion lying beside it. Cloud picked up the stuff.

"Pretty good. We should go back now…what if the villa management couldn't hold the villa for us in time?" Tifa nodded. They all headed back into town. Cloud plunked two sacks of gill down on the table. The lady smiled.

"Thank you," she said automatically. "The villa is already prepared. Please enjoy your stay." Everyone nodded and trooped into the villa. Shippo blinked.

"…wow," he said, awed at the fine villa.

"It's pretty small," Red said after a few seconds.

"Well, at least it's bigger than the hotel rooms! And much nicer," Yuffie said cheerfully.

"Oh, how will everyone fit?" Tifa mused. "There are only two big beds…and two sofas…or was that three? Oh no…"

"I can sleep on the floor," Cait said helpfully.

"We should have two women and two men on the beds," Sango suggested.

"I'm going to sleep on the this big white thing…the moogle, so…" Shippo shrugged. Cid

grumbled.

"I'll sleep on the big cat, whatshername? Oh yeah, _Kirara_."

"So…" Yuffie stared. "That leaves ten people." Miroku smiled.

"I will sleep on the ground. I have a…bag to sleep in." Kagome giggled, but stopped at the look on everyone's face.

"It's called a sleeping bag Miroku."

"Oh. Yes, I have a sleeping bag to sleep in."

"So will I," Sango decided quickly. Yuffie looked dejectedly at the beds.

"I'm guessing I'm not gonna get a bed…so I call a sofa!" she yelled.

"Since I can't sleep on the ground…" Red blinked. "I'll sleep on a sofa too."

"…I do not need a bed. I shall also-"

"No way!" Barret interrupted. "I ain't sleep's with spiky ass! Or the brat he is."

"Hey!" Cloud and Yuffie both glared at the form of Tifa. Vincent's long gaze settled on Barret.

"…and you think that I would like to sleep with him?" Barret glared at Vincent.

"Well, if you stick your ass on the sofa and go to sleep, I'm gonna lift you up and chuck you right onta spiky ass!" Cloud looked from Barret to Vincent. He blinked.

"Wow…I didn't know that I'm _that_ hated." Tifa smiled at him.

"You're not hated Cloud. The guys just…don't want to sleep with you in the same bed." She smiled slyly at him. "Or would you prefer them to _want_ to sleep with you?" Cloud looked repulsed.

"Ugh! Of course not!" Inuyasha watched them, bored.

"Whatever. I'm sleeping on the ground." Barret smiled at Cloud smugly.

"Well Cloud, it looks like you're stuck with Vince here." Cloud glanced apprehensively at

Vincent, who's eyes were boring into the opposite wall. Cloud looked at Tifa.

"Uh…Tifa?"

"Yes?"

"How about…er…you sleep with me?" Tifa looked quite shocked.

"What? Sleep with you?"

"Yeah. You know, as in, the same bed? That way it'll be…uh…two 'guys' and two 'girls' in a bed."

"Um…okay." Kagome goggled at the pair.

"But…does this mean I have to sleep with _Vincent_!" Cloud looked uncomfortable.

"Well…if you don't mind _too_ much…" Kagome sighed inwardly.

"It's okay. I don't mind."

"WHAT!" Inuyasha bounded over to Kagome, looking furiously at all of them. "There is NO WAY Kagome is sleeping with HIM!" Kagome frowned.

"Well, there isn't anywhere else to sleep Inuyasha, and it's all right." Inuyasha stared at

her incredulously.

"W-what? It's ALL RIGHT!"

"INUYASHA! It's only for a _few days_! In fact, it's only _3 nights_, all right?"

"But-!"

"Stop." Everyone turned to look at Vincent. The sniper turned to Inuyasha.

"…no one has asked my opinion on this. I am not thrilled to be sleeping with her. I barely know her."

"So-!"

"What are you so afraid of?" Inuyasha blinked…then turned red.

"W-what! I'm not afraid…of…argh…yeah!" he spluttered. Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"…if you are so worried, I will sleep on the ground."

"Uh…" Inuyasha digested the information. "Yeah! That's gr-"

"No!" Kagome said loudly. Everyone focused on her. She looked directly at Inuyasha, determined and angry. "You know, it wouldn't be right if Vincent had to sleep on the ground just cause you don't like him sleeping in the same bed as me. It's just a bed! Why are you objecting? This is MY decision, you know! You don't really have a say in where I sleep!" Inuyasha looked outraged. Vincent did nothing. Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore. She had gone too far.

"I don't know what's gotten into you Kagome!" he yelled. "Ever since we started traveling with these people, you've been acting different! Why don't you just make out with him while you two are sleeping in your nice, cozy bed or something!" He stormed out of the room. Kagome stared after him. Her face turned beet-red and her mouth hung open.

"…what?" she whispered. She looked mortified. The shocked friends looked at Vincent. He was looking at the ground. Although his face was expressionless, everyone could sense guilt radiating from him, as though it was all his fault (even if it wasn't). He started walking towards the door.

"…I will be in town," he murmured, barely audible, and exited the room, out the door.

"…well…um…" Tifa said awkwardly. "Uh…why don't we go out for dinner? At the bar or something? It's like evening already…"

"That guy has a #/$ temper," Cid observed. Kagome walked to the bathroom, head bowed. After a few seconds…

"STUPID INUYASHA!" they heard her scream. "YOU BAKA!" Sango went to the door of the bathroom, looking extremely concerned.

"Kagome…?" She heard the schoolgirl crying inside.

"D-don't Sango…" Kagome sobbed. "G-go…go a-a-away…" Shippo jumped over.

"Kagome? Are you okay?" Kagome let out a despairing wail.

"J-just leave m-me alone! Why c-can't everyone just l-leave me alone!" Shippo backed away from the door slowly, looking wary and frightened. Miroku frowned.

"We'd be best off not bothering her. She needs some time alone," he cautioned. Sango shook her head and went back to the front of the villa.

"Oh, Kagome," she sighed.

"It's all Inuyasha's fault!" Shippo said angrily.

"I think he overreacted," Red put in.

"Yes, he's very over-reactive," Sango replied. She felt sorry for her friend.

"Well…should we go to the bar for dinner?" Tifa asked.

"What about Kagome?" Shippo asked, wide-eyed.

"Forget about her," Cid said. "Look at her now; she's in her hellava big ? temper."

"Yeah, Kagome sure knows how to throw a big hissy-fit!" Cait added. Yuffie pursed her lips.

"I totally agree! I mean like, Vinnie's not _that_ bad! Why does she care so much about Inuyasha's opinions anyway? It's not like she's _in love_ or something." At these words, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara glanced at each knowingly.

"Just write a note for her when she stops that damned crying and comes out so she won't think we've abandoned her or something," Barret suggested. Miroku nodded.

"Right." Tifa handed him a pen and a piece of paper. He scribbled busily on it for a minute, then set the note on the table. Yuffie handed him some tape. "Er…what is this?" Miroku asked, confused. He looked at the piece of transparent paper that stuck to his finger. Yuffie sniggered.

"It's tape…um…something that's sticky…ya know, so you can stick pieces of paper and stuff together?" she explained sketchily. Miroku blinked…then shrugged and handed the tape and paper to Tifa, who stuck them on the door so that Kagome would surely see the note. Cloud smiled.

"Alright, let's go then."

°" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °" °"

Inuyasha stomped through the lively, cheerful resort. The sky was darkening, and lights were being lit everywhere. A plump man behind a table called out to Inuyasha, asking him if he wanted to buy a "soft", or whatever, but the hanyo ignored him. Stupid Kagome! He had never felt this angry at her…or this jealous before. It was just that…well, she seemed to take a lot of interest into _Vincent_. Even before, with Koga…she had never really seemed to "like" him in that way…or with that "Hojo" guy. Well, he had never really seen her alone with that guy because she was always with her friends when he was around…but she took (or seemed to take) a different interest with the sniper. And speaking of Vincent…

Inuyasha spotted him sitting in the dark shadow of a palm tree as the sky went black. Hidden away in the shadows, he was harder to spot. It was the white ears on his head that gave him out.

"Well, mine," Inuyasha thought ironically. Inuyasha tried to walk discretely into the shadows of another tree, but Vincent spotted him. The gunman got up slowly, then strode towards him. Inuyasha sat down, his back against a tree.

"What!" he said aggressively as Vincent approached. Vincent's face was carefully blank of any emotion as he spoke softy.

"…I would like to know of what you were implying back in the villa." Inuyasha blinked, trying to understand the formally complicated grammar.

"…uh…" Vincent looked slightly annoyed.

"…I would like to know of your reaction back in the villa." Inuyasha's expression cleared. Then he scowled.

"What about it?"

"…why were you so…violent?" Inuyasha snorted.

"Violent? I wasn't violent! I'm always like that!"

"Yet you made Kagome sad and angry. Do you always do that?" The hanyo looked at the ground.

"…no." Vincent studied him for a moment.

"You are jealous," he said flatly. Inuyasha instantly flamed up.

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!"

"Then why were you so angry at her sleeping in the same bed as I? Would you object if I

had been a female?" Inuyasha snorted again.

"Huh, that's gotta be the longest sentence you've ever said in your whole life."

"…would you?"

"Well…er…no." Vincent stared at Inuyasha's reddening face. He turned towards the sea, staring out across the waves.

"…if you love her so, tell her before she fades away…" Inuyasha spluttered angrily.

"Buzz off! What do _you_ know about our relationship anyway!"

"…I know enough to see that she loves you and you…love her."

"What! How do you-!"

"If you did not love her, you would not have acted the way you did back in the Shinra Mansion."

"I-" Inuyasha started, but stopped. He looked at the ground. "Huh," he grumbled under his breath. Vincent glanced back at Inuyasha.

"…if you would like to keep her by your side, apologize. I would assume that she is still in the villa…" He turned and walked away. Inuyasha stared after him…then got up and headed back towards the villa.

Cloud laughed and held up his glass of wine.

"Another one!" he yelled. He, Barret, and Cid raised their glasses and clinked them

together. Throwing back their heads, they drained the wine. Barret hiccupped.

"This stuff's _damned_ good!" He poured himself more wine. Cid held out his glass.

"Fill 'er up," he said, shaking his head to clear it. Barret filled Cid's and Cloud's glasses.

"_Damned_ good stuff!" he yelled, pounding Cloud on the back and causing the blonde (or teenage girl) to choke. "Whoops. Sorry man." Cloud shook his head.

"No problem," he croaked. Yuffie was sitting at the end of the bar with Tifa. She giggled (which sounded really freaky, seeing as she _was_ Miroku at the moment).

"Look at 'em all drunk Tifa! Ha ha, they look sooo weird." Tifa smiled. She looked at the group. She wondered if it was good of Cid to be drinking. He _was_ Shippo, and Shippo was still a kid. With all the stuff Cloud was consuming, it would be strange if Yuffie's body didn't get addicted. And Barret…well, Barret was in _her_ body. Because she used to work at a bar, she _did_ drink, but not a lot. She hoped that what Barret was doing wasn't hurting her. But…well, the three men were indeed acting rather hilarious. Yuffie finished her can of root beer. She stared at her cup…then looked up at Tifa.

"Ooooh, Tifa, can I pleeeeease have some wine?" Tifa glanced at Yuffie. She was making those puppy eyes again.

"_No_, Yuffie," Tifa replied firmly. She downed her shrimp cocktail and called the barkeeper over. "One more shrimp cocktail and root beer please." The barkeeper nodded and went to prepare the drinks.

"Party crasher," Yuffie grumbled. Tifa looked sternly at her.

"Come on Yuffie, you're too young to be drinking beer or wine. The legal age is 18 and you're 16." Yuffie huffed.

"Well, _you_ can buy it! You're 20!"

"That's not the point! You have to be 18 to _drink_ it."

"Crap." The drinks arrived. Tifa pushed the root beer to Yuffie.

"There you go Yuffie." Yuffie stared sullenly at the can…then grinned.

"No can do!" she said cheerfully, and took a gulp. "Thanks Tifa!" The door of the bar swung open and closed. Tifa turned around. Vincent walked into the bar, looking as calm as ever. He didn't even seem _slightly_ embarrassed by Inuyasha's previous outburst. Tifa waved.

"Hey Vincent!" Vincent turned her way. She gestured for him to come over. He came and sat next to her, against the wall.

"…yes?"

"Oh, hey Vinnie!" Yuffie said, just noticing him. Tifa smiled at him.

"Where were you?" she asked curiously. Vincent shrugged.

"…the beach."

"Oh. It must be so pretty…" Yuffie reached over and tapped the gunman on the shoulder.

"Vinnieeeeeee, can you pleeeeeeeease get me a glass of wine? I _really_ wanna try some."

"…"

"Pleeeeeease?"

"…"

"Awww, pleeeeeeease be nice for once?"

"…"

"Come on, pleeeeeease?"

"…no."

"Awww, come on!"

"…no."

"Dammit!" Yuffie sulked. Cloud looked around.

"Hey, Vincent! Over here!" Vincent got up and strode over to Cloud, Barret, and Cid. Cloud poured wine into an empty glass and pushed it into Vincent's right hand. "Drink with us!" he urged him. Cloud, Cid, and Barret all raised their glasses for a toast.

"To…er…um…victory!" they cheered, and emptied the glasses into their open mouths. Yuffie watched them. She watched Cloud, looking at her body. She wondered why nobody told Cloud not to drink, since he _was_ practically 16. An idea suddenly stuck her. She wondered why she didn't think of it before.

"Oh, Tifa?" Tifa looked up.

"Yes?"

"Actually…I _can_ drink wine." Tifa cocked an eyebrow.

"Why?" Yuffie smiled slightly. She was _such_ a genius.

"Well…I _am_ in a _man's_ body after all…" Tifa stared at her exasperatedly for a moment…then gave in.

"All right." She was about to call the barkeeper over when Vincent came and handed Yuffie his glass of wine. Yuffie looked surprised.

"Oh cool, thanks Vinnie!"

"…" Cloud had tried to get Vincent to drink with him and the others, but he had no interest in wine. Or…social contact. It was better to give his glass to Yuffie, seeing as she had a point.

"EW! GROSSNESS!" Yuffie spat out the wine. "What _is_ this! It tastes _so horrible_! Gawd!" Tifa cocked an eyebrow.

"You wanted the booze, and now you're telling me you don't like it?" She leaned back and squinted past Cloud at the bottles of wine littering the table. "Um…I think that label says 'Vodka'…"

"WHAT!"

"Well…Barret, Cid, and occasionally Cloud tend to go for the hard stuff…" Yuffie turned to Vincent.

"Vinnie? That…that isn't Vodka, right?" she asked nervously. "Please say no," she begged. Vincent glanced at the bottles dismissively.

"…that is correct."

"It's not Vodka?" the ninja asked eagerly.

"…no, it is Vodka."

"CRAP! DAD IS _SO_ GONNA SUE ME!" Tifa quirked an eyebrow at her.

"How will he know?" Yuffie sighed tragically.

"He'll just know. Trust me…he has these psychic powers or something." Tifa smiled, shaking her head amusedly.

"Whatever you say Yuffie." Yuffie suddenly sprang up. A look of absolute terror was on her face and she stood as still as a statue.

"Oh no…" Tifa looked up concernedly.

"What is it Yuffie?"

"Ohmygawd. Oh my gawd. Oh. My. Gawd. OH MY GAWD!"

"Yuffie! What's wrong?"

"Oh no…ohnononononononononono…oh fricken NO!" Tifa stood up, looking extremely concerned and worried.

"Yuffie! What's the matter? _What happened_?" Yuffie stared at her wildly.

"It's…it's…it's-"

* * *

There we go! Cliffhanger! You can all guess what's going to happen next…but…well, I'm not going to say it here, or else it's not a cliffhanger. Lol. Ok, so, for anyone who's wondering this now: THIS FANFICTION WILL NOT, IN ANY WAY, HAVE ANY SORT OF LOVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KAGOME AND VINCENT. If any of you actually read my profile, it states clearly that I HATE Kagome. And my most favorite male character is Vincent. Why would I pair up my most favorite male character with my most hated female character (or most hated _character_, in general)? Kagome just kinda curious about him and has a sorta…crush, I suppose, on him. That's all. Vincent doesn't like her at all. And if you guys are wondering about who Kagome's going to be "paired up" with, well, you can sorta guess. I think the legal drinking age is 21, but I'm just going to make it 18 in this fanfiction. And yes, the barkeeper is very confused and disapproves of Cloud and Cid drinking cause they're technically teenagers/kids, right? Yeah…

We're catching up! This is chapter 8. As I have said, I've already written out chapters 10 and 11. Only 3 more chapters to go! I'm currently writing chapter 12, but I have this huge writer's block and I simply cannot think of anything to write for that chapter, although I already have the basis of it. I know what subject I'm writing on for it, but I just can't think of any detail. Ugh…this chapter was actually pretty quick. It's shorter, but whatever. The stuff in this chapter doesn't really have anything to do with the main plot, but it's pretty important cause it emphasizes some of the relationships and such. I already have some pairings pointed out and some are pretty obvious, but for all you Vincent fans out there…well, you guys are probably wondering: "Who's Vincent paired up with!" Vincent…I don't know. I know it says on my profile that I think VincentxTifa is the best pair for Vincent, but now I'm not certain…I'm starting to like VincentxYuffie too. But I don't really like both of them. I suppose I think that Vincent wallowing in grief for Lucrecia is the best. Vincent may be paired up with someone, or he may not be paired up at all. Right. So…review review review! The next chapter is: Chapter 9 - The Encountering and the Confession


	9. The Encountering and the Confession

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover and Lexi belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

Hey hey hey! Long time no see (or read, type, contact, whatever)! ANYWAYS…I was playing FFVII the other day again, and I was looking at the weapons. Cloud is now using the Yoshiyuki (in my game, not the fanfic). I looked at the sword, and it looked _small_. And _plain_. So I'm sorry to those who like the Yoshiyuki, but Cloud's not gonna be using it in this fanfic. He will change to another sword when I find one I like. And for Vincent…well, I don't like the Shotgun, so he won't be changing until I find a gun I like either. As for Cait Sith…um…well, I've found a new M-phone, so he'll probably change soon. I don't have in written into the chapter, but I'll find some place to put it in. No more info here, or there'll be no point in reading the fanfic. Lol…

**Kiome-Yasha**: Oh…that's okay Kiome-Yasha! Thanks for apologizing…I was really mad before, but I'm…erm…very happy now! Yes, that's it…I think….hm…o.0 Lol. Do you mean if like…somehow, Red's related to Kirara or something? Um…Sephiroth's related to Sesshomaru, and therefore related to Inuyasha? Hm…I don't know, because they _are_ two different worlds, so it would probably be pretty strange if they were related. However, if you like that idea, _you_ can write a fanfiction on it!

**Charan-Amaya**: -gasp- You NEVER read the author's notes! -double gasp- What…ignorance! LOL, I'm just joking. Yeah, I used to skip author notes too, but in one story, I found something a little weird, so I went back to read the notes and it explained it there. Actually…since you read my notes to you, you _are_ sort of reading the author's notes in a way…lol, sorry, I just had to say that. Wow…long review. I know changing bodies is weird…but I just like watching (or writing) how a character struggles to be someone else for a change. Have you ever wondered what it was like to be someone else? It's so weird…erm…low tolerance for…you mean like, Shippo having low tolerance for wine or something? Hm…I don't know if demons get drunk or something, but I'm assuming (since they _are_ demons and are a lot stronger than humans), even though Shippo is a child, he still has a high tolerance to wine. And Yuffie…well, Cloud _did_ drink a lot. It pretty much explains it all in this chapter (about him getting drunk and all).

-gasp again- How can you hate Aeris? She is like…the figure of perfection! She's kind, unselfish, pretty, cares for others, doesn't act all jealous, helps others, and everything good! She's smart too. And strong. At least…I know Tifa's more selfish than her cause in the game, at the part where they all go to Don Corneo's house…well…as you probably know, if Tifa gets picked, Aeris goes down into the other room with another guy. If Aeris gets picked, Tifa is the one that goes into that room. As you know, Cloud tells them (well, tells whoever isn't picked) that they have to go save the other person (the one that's with Corneo). Aeris says "yes, let's go save her", but Tifa says to Cloud, "hey, what about me? You didn't ask me how I was!" Or something like that. I don't know the exact wording. And Aeris didn't steal Cloud from Tifa. It's not like she told Cloud bad things about Tifa or something. She can't help it if she likes Cloud, and Cloud can't help it if he likes her. I think that if Cloud likes Aeris, he should go to her, even if he knew Tifa longer. But, well, that's my opinion. Some people just don't like Aeris cause they think she's too good or something. I like Tifa, but I don't really support Cloud and Tifa.

I'll go check out your fanfic. Ooh, thanks for the present (thought I don't go for hugs much), lol. I'm starting to like Yuffie/Vincent more than Tifa/Vincent…but yeah, it IS kinda disturbing. He's like…half a generation older than her! If you don't count the 30 years of sleep, that is. I'm not sure…hm…well, I'm thinking of writing another fanfiction that DOES have YuffiexVincent in it. But I don't know about this one…I'm still deciding. Hm…well, chances are that Vincent will probably be a loner in this fanfic, but it's not positive, lol. I don't really like the ideas of big softies inside, actually. It's just…not like his personality…but that's just me. XD Whoa…I think my reply was too long. Anyways, please read my author notes, cause I explain a lot of things that might be strange in the fanfiction. You don't have to read the notes about my life (like me telling about my success in beating Red Dragon), but please read the notes about the fanfiction. Especially the end notes. Thanks! Btw, you're not my lord, master, ruler, supreme empress, ect. LOL! And the caffeine…the horror! -shrinks back from caffeine-happy Charan-Amaya-

Oh yeah, I beat Red Dragon! For all those who think that he's really easy…well, good for you. XD I love Bio; it works like a wonder. Red Dragon had killed both Cloud and Aeris, and I only had Vincent left. And you guys know how Red Dragon can just kill in one blow? Well, he would've killed Vincent and I would've had to restart AGAIN, if not for the trusty poison. I had poisoned Red Dragon in the beginning of the battle. At the end, just as it was about to attack Vincent, it flashed green and BOOM! Died. Just like that. Heehee. I'm happy. But now I have to beat that stupid Demon's Gate. I've heard that you can just kill it by using Life or throwing a phoenix down on it, and I tried, but they all "missed" (the phoenix downs). I think you have to try many times, but I only have three phoenix downs left, so it's kinda useless. It keeps using its stupid attack (the one where a nut-shell thing cracks over a character's head). Ugh. But I'll beat it next time. Oh, and I also have to find a way to beat the boss with Aeris being equipped-less. Apparently, I'll loose her and all the stuff that's equipped to her when the battle's done, and I don't wanna loose all the summons I have on her (I have like 4 summons equipped to her). -.-

Now, ON. WITH. THE. STORY. Thank you.

* * *

Chapter 9 - The Encountering and the Confession

"It's that I'm in a MAN'S BODY! What if I go to the beach tomorrow and some random girl _flirts_ with me! EW, GROSSNESS!" Yuffie finished, looking horror-struck. Tifa stared at her.

"Is that…all?" Yuffie gave the older woman "the look".

"Duh, what did you think it was?" Tifa sighed heavily and sat back down.

"Oh, nothing. I just thought that maybe you remembered something urgently heart-stopping and was on the verge of death, perhaps. Nothing too bad." Yuffie cocked her head to one side. She giggled.

"You're _funny_ Tifa," she drawled. The teenager made a face. "This vodka stuff is making me sick. I need to go puke, thanks." She hurried into the bathroom. As she was about to go into the woman's bathroom (she stopped in front of the door), she suddenly remembered that she was in Miroku's body, and headed for the men's bathroom with her eyes shut. She slammed into the door, then felt around and pushed it open. Tifa sighed again and stirred her cocktail. She noticed that Vincent was gone.

"That's strange," she thought. "I'm sure I would've at least _seen_ him leave. How could he disappear like that?" Tifa shrugged. "Well," she mused, "this _is_ Vincent I'm talking about here…"

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Inuyasha stopped at the door of the villa. As he stared at the handle of the door, he realized that he didn't have the "key" thing that was needed to open the door. Inuyasha sighed. He didn't feel like barging into a place full of people to get the key thing. He hoped that Kagome would open the door. The hanyo rapped hard on the polished wood of the door. Kagome had to hear _that_. He waited. And waited. And waited. After what seemed like eternity, he knocked again. Inuyasha heard footsteps and the door opened slowly. Kagome looked up. As soon as she saw him, she made to shut the door, but Inuyasha stopped the door just in time. Kagome made a noise that sounded like a stifled sob and ran into the bathroom. Inuyasha was shocked. Kagome's (or Cid's) face was deathly pale and her eyes were red-rimmed. She had tear tracks running down her face and her clothes were wet from crying. She was a complete wreck. This made Inuyasha even more ashamed of his previous outburst. He walked up to the bathroom and stopped outside.

"…Kagome?" he said tentatively. There was no reply. Inuyasha tried again. "Kagome? Please, come out." There was a muffled sound, and Kagome's voice sounded out, echoing in the bathroom.

"G-go away!" Inuyasha winced. She sounded terrible.

"Kagome, please open the door. I…I have something to say." On the other side of the door, Kagome stopped crying. Inuyasha had something to say? It couldn't be…

Kagome sniffled and unlocked the bathroom door. She opened it and found herself face to face with Inuyasha, who looked worried. Inuyasha gazed at her for a moment, then stared at the ground. It was now or never.

"Kagome, I…I…I'm…I'm sorry." Kagome stared at him. Inuyasha shifted his feet uncomfortably. "I'm sorry I yelled at you like that earlier."

"He…he apologized to me!" Kagome thought, shocked. She looked at him. Inuyasha's (or Vincent's) red eyes were staring at the ground, and his human hand was clenched nervously. Kagome's eyes filled with tears again. She smiled. "I forgive you Inuyasha." Inuyasha looked up, greatly relieved. Kagome looked really _weird_, crying like that, because she was in Cid's body. Suddenly, Vincent's words returned to him in a flash.

"…if you love her so, tell her before she fades away…"

"But I can't!" Inuyasha's mind cried desperately. He remembered the time when Sota wanted to tell Hitomi that he loved her (well, not _real_ love). When Sota was too scared to do it, Inuyasha had dragged him to the doorstep.

"Are you a man or not!" Inuyasha had said. "Gather your courage and go for it!" Well…now he couldn't even tell Kagome how he felt. If Sota could do it, why couldn't he? He had to tell her. He wouldn't loose to Koga! Or that Hojo guy…

"K-Kagome?" Kagome titled her head sideways.

"Yes?"

"I…I…I l-…l-…l-…" He fidgeted. "I…l-…I love you!" Inuyasha burst out. There. He had done it.

Kagome goggled at him, utterly shocked. Did Inuyasha just say he _loved her_! It couldn't be…impossible…but he _did_ say it. He said he loved her. A part inside Kagome swelled and exploded. The girl felt light-headed and joyful.

"Oh, Inuyasha!" She flung herself at him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she spoke. "I…I love you too." This was the happiest she had ever felt in her life. Inuyasha enveloped her in his arms. Like Kagome, this was the happiest he had felt since being sealed to the tree…

"Kagome," he whispered, and hugged her even closer to him than before.

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Tifa stood up. It was getting late. _Really_ late. She looked at Cloud, Barret, and Cid.

"You guys!" she called. "We should get going. It's late."

"Right," Cid grumbled, standing up on his little feet (well, paws). "I'm going back…get some fricken shut-eye…" He staggered towards the door and out of sight. Barret also stood up, heading out.

"…sleep," he muttered thickly. "Vince better not have his gloomy ass on the sofa…" Cloud groaned as he got up, hitting his head on the wall.

"Ow…" He stumbled towards Tifa. The barkeeper looked disapprovingly at him.

"Youngsters," the barkeeper muttered, shaking his head. "Tell them not to drink, but they still do. Underage, too."

"Say that to Yuffie," Tifa thought, smiling. "Well…Cloud _is_ Yuffie in a sense…in the barkeeper's eyes, anyway."

"Whazzup, Tifa?" Cloud said drunkenly. Tifa led him out the door.

"Nothing much," she replied.

"…anyone flirt'n with ya lately?"

"What?" Tifa looked at him strangely.

"Flirt'n. Ya know, the _thing_."

"What thing?" Cloud breathed into her ear.

"The _thing_…kissing…especially French kissing."

"What!"

"…Aeris," Cloud mumbled. "Where…you…can't…find…" He suddenly started waving his arms around, like a wild monkey.

"Cloud!" Tifa grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. Cloud looked up as though he was waking from a dream.

"…wha?" Tifa opened the door of the villa with the key and pushed the blonde through it. A note fluttered to the ground. The martial artist bent down and picked it up. In Miroku's handwriting, it said:

_Hey Kagome!_

_We're all going to the bar to have dinner. If you need us, we'll be there Don't worry about Inuyasha, and feel better soon!_

_-Miroku_

Tifa smiled. She hoped Kagome was okay. As she looked up, she saw the forms of Vincent and Cid lying on a bed, talking happily. She was greatly surprised (even a little shocked). Her first thought was:

"Vincent and Cid!", but she remembered the events of the morning. The people were actually Inuyasha and Kagome. "Hm…they made up." Tifa grinned. That was good. They were happy again. Tifa shook her head slightly and went to take a shower. She got dressed and stepped into the bedroom, to find Cloud already in bed and fast asleep. Kagome was also in her bed and looking a little nervous. Tifa climbed under the covers, feeling a little jumpy. "I'm going to sleep with Cloud!" Her mind raced as she settled back into the bed.

Vincent approached the bed. Kagome was lying on the edge of her side of the bed, feeling a little nervous. Vincent got into the bed, careful not to touch the girl. He also slept on the edge of the bed, leaving a huge space between them. Thoughts kept flickering in Kagome's head about Inuyasha. The fact that Vincent _was_ practically Inuyasha and was sleeping next to her wasn't helping. She shook her head firmly.

"Get a grip!" she told herself, and with this thought in mind, she fell asleep.

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Inuyasha woke up. He blinked slowly, then sat up. The bright sunlight filtered through the transparent stuff in the window. Kagome had said that it was "glass" or something. Speaking of Kagome…Inuyasha got up and crept quietly to the bedroom.

"What the hell-!" he thought, instantly firing up. Kagome's arm was resting over Vincent's stomach, and she was dangerously close to him, although he _was_ sleeping on the edge of the bed. Inuyasha wanted to yell at her to take her arm off Vincent, but he would wake everyone and he didn't want Kagome to get mad at him again. Sighing softly, he returned to his bed on the ground.

Tifa's eyes opened. It was morning. The whole room was filled with sunlight. Really _bright_ sunlight. Tifa heard noises next to her. She turned around and saw Cloud still sleeping. He seemed to be dreaming, and he had a strange look on his face. Tifa supposed that he was having an unsettling dream. She looked at the clock. It was a little past nine in the morning. Shrugging, she started shaking Cloud.

"Cloud. Cloud, wake up," she said softly. He mumbled something that sounded like "It's mine…I want the pink chocobo…" and suddenly clamped his arm around Tifa's waist. Tifa stiffened. "Cloud, what-?"

"…getting away, are we?" Cloud mumbled, still asleep. "No more greens for you…"

"Cloud, I'm-"

"Mmm…this calls for some racing…tiring you out…don't wanna race, huh?"

"Cloud-!"

"Urgh…don't shake your feathers at me like that…"

"I don't have any fea-!"

"Uhhh…if you clamp your beak at me one more time…I'm gonna…tie it up…"

"Hey, stop-"

"…mmm…it's back to the stables with you…"

"CLOUD!"

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Vincent had awoken when Tifa had started moving. Eyes closed, he listened to Cloud's mumblings and Tifa's struggles. Vincent felt something his stomach, but he supposed that it was just a pillow. A…wait. A pillow wasn't that heavy. It could only be…

Vincent's eyes snapped open just as Tifa yelled,

"CLOUD!" Cloud sat bolt up right.

"Gather 'em up!" he yelled. "We can't have any loose, those insolent little-!" He broke off when he saw Tifa. He blinked. She was glaring at him. His cheeks turned red. "Uh…you called me?" Tifa glared at him some more, then got out of bed and went out the room. Kagome's eyes were open and she was looking over Vincent blearily.

"What was that all about?" she asked, yawning. Cloud shrugged.

"I have no idea. I was dreaming about chocobos. It was a weird dream…this pink chocobo kept annoying me, so I slapped it. It started running off, but I grabbed its halter. I told it that I wouldn't give it anymore greens, and that I was going to race it until it became tired, so it shook its feathers at me! Then I got really annoyed and I started to tell it off, but it clicked and clamped its beak at me! So I was gonna send it back to the stables when it said something that sounded like Tifa yelling at my name. I thought that it was telling all the other chocobos to escape and…" Cloud trailed off. He reddened again. "Never mind…"

Vincent turned his head to stare at Kagome. She blinked.

"What?" The gunman glanced at her right hand pointedly. She looked at it for a moment…then turned red and snatched it off Vincent's stomach. "Eh…sorry…"

"…"

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By ten A.M., everyone had gotten dressed, brushed their teeth, and ate breakfast. They all gathered at the door.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Sango asked. Cloud shrugged.

"Do whatever you guys want. Just remember to come back at the end of the day." Everyone nodded. Yuffie grabbed Tifa's hand.

"Come with me to the beach!" she squealed. She turned to Sango and Kagome. "You guys, too!"

"Okay," Kagome and Sango agreed, smiling. All the girls went out the door. Barret looked out the window.

"I'm gonna be out, fight'n." Cid nodded.

"Yeah. I'll come with ya and…er…throw insults at them monsters." Shippo blinked.

"Uh…Kirara and I will just be outside…playing." Inuyasha turned around, heading out.

"I'll be around." Vincent also walked out.

"…" Cait Sith stared.

"Well…I'm gonna go…uh…play with Shippo and Kirara."

"I'll be somewhere…reading." Red left. Miroku followed him.

"I'll be in the forest…doing something!" he called. Cloud stared. They had all left him behind! He huffed and locked the villa behind him.

Vincent walked calmly through the forest next to Costa Del Sol. It had undoubtedly sprung up because of the world-collision. Usually, forests would not be beside beaches, but anything could happen when two worlds collide. It was quite annoying being in this body. He never really did go for swords…they were more of Cloud's area. A rustling in the bushes up ahead jerked Vincent out of his thoughts. His eyes narrowed and he put a hand on his gun. A little girl ran out of the bushes, followed by a…strange toad-like wearing robes. That was running after the girls. And yelling.

"Ha, Master Jaken, you can't catch me!"

"Get back here Rin, watch were you're g-" The toad stopped abruptly, staring at Vincent. Rin looked around and blinked. Jaken stared some more, then spoke. "Lord Sesshomaru, you won't believe it! It's…it's Inuyasha!" There was more rustling in the bushes. Then a two-headed dragon and a man stepped out. This man was around Cloud's height. He had long, fine, white hair and wore a red and white male kimono. He had armor equipped on his shoulder and chest, and a big, long, fluffy thing was draped over his shoulder. He had sharp and dangerous-looking claws, and there were markings on his face and forehead. Stripes and a crescent-moon. Two long swords hung from a sash around his waist. Vincent's eyes narrowed even more, becoming mere slits.

"…this is Inuyasha's older brother, Sesshomaru?" he thought, surveying him.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said. He glanced around the clearing. "I see that your friends are not here." Vincent did not reply. Sesshomaru looked at him. "Where are they?"

"Where they are is none of your business," Vincent answered smoothly. He knew that he didn't sound anything like Inuyasha, but since Inuyasha wasn't here, there wasn't any danger of Sesshomaru fighting his little brother. Sesshomaru's eyes also narrowed.

"Not here?"

"…they are elsewhere. I was merely taking a stroll." Jaken gaped at him. Sesshomaru felt wary. This was not like Inuyasha at all. Usually, Inuyasha would yell at him and pull out the Tessaiga, but this time, he was calm, with not emotion showing on his face, and he radiated authority. Much like himself, to be exact.

"Why do you not take out the Tessaiga and charge at me?" Sesshomaru asked. Vincent looked down at the sword.

"I do not…feel like it."

"Why are you acting so strangely?"

"…" Sesshomaru was starting to get annoyed.

"If you won't charge first, then I will!" He leapt forward, drawing the Tokijin. Vincent dodged his swipe and whipped out his gun. Sesshomaru found himself staring down the long barrel of the Sniper CR. He flipped backwards and stared at the gun. "What is this!" Sesshomaru demanded sharply.

"…"

"What? Is the Tessaiga not good enough for you now, little brother?"

"…do you have a problem with what I fight with?" Sesshomaru's mouth curved into a thin smile.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I thought you greatly treasured the Tessiaga. Perhaps I was wrong." Vincent cocked his gun and leveled it.

"…maybe you are." Sesshomaru tightened his grip on the Tokijin.

"In that case, _I_ shall have it!" He jumped into the air and swung the Tokijin. A burst of light erupted from it and sped towards Vincent, who rolled sideways, firing rapidly. One of the bullets sped right through Sesshomaru's shoulder-armor and lodged itself into his shoulder. Gritting his teeth in pain, the demon landed and glared at Vincent with loathing. The sniper calmly blew the top of the barrel. He looked up.

"…and you were saying…?"

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Yuffie frolicked happily in the flowers. Okay, she was really splashing around in the water. She had kept Tifa close to her and pretended that they were dating so that nobody would flirt with her. That is, no _girls_ would flirt with _Yuffie_.

"Hey Tifa!" The ninja howled. Tifa turned around and…got a big splash in her face. She spluttered and blinked rapidly. "Ha! Got ya!" Yuffie stuck her tongue out at the older woman. Tifa's eyes narrowed.

"I'm going to get you for that!" Yuffie shrieked and ran, looking like a very girly man running from his furious girlfriend. Kagome and Sango lay on a beach towel. Kagome sighed with pleasure.

"This is the _life_." She perked up. "Hey Sango, guess what?" Sango turned her head to look at Kagome.

"What?"

"Heehee…Inuyasha…he…" Curiosity was taking a hold of the demon slayer.

"He what?"

"He…"

"He _what_, Kagome?" Sango sat up, looking at her friend.

"Oh, all right. He said…he said that he loved me."

"OH MY GOD, HE WHAT!" Kagome smiled broadly.

"He said that he loved me!" Sango stared at Kagome for another moment…then lay back down.

"I knew it," she said simply.

"Knew what?"

"Well, it's kind of obvious that you two love each other." Kagome blushed.

"Really?"

"Yes." Kagome, not wanting to talk more about the subject, glanced back at her friend.

"So…what about you?" Sango blinked innocently.

"What do you mean, _what about me_?"

"Well," Kagome replied slowly, "what were you and Miroku doing yesterday night?" Sango started blushing.

"Oh, nothing much. We were just…walking." It was true, but they had also hugged. And of course, Sango was _not_ going to tell Kagome that. She was already obsessed and onto their case.

"Walking, huh?"

"Yeah…" Suddenly, a young woman that looked like she was around 18 or 19 years old came up to Sango. She had cascades of blond hair with pink streaks and purple highlights. She also had quite a nice figure and wore a magenta bikini.

"Hey there," she said in a silky voice. "What's up, handsome?"

"…what?" Sango blinked. The woman knelt down, folding her long legs behind her and got closer to Sango.

"My, aren't you a hot one? Don't you have any girlfriends?"

"Um…no."

"Why no? Surely a cute guy like you would have _some_ kind of girl tagging after you."

"Uh…well…I…don't want one."

"Well," the woman replied, putting her face inches from Sango's, "_I'll_ be your girlfriend."

"W-what?" Poor Sango looked terribly confused.

"Come on," the woman said in a thick, husky voice. "I'll be your girlfriend." She stared running her hand up Sango's (or Cloud's) bare chest. She breathed on Sango gently. Sango shrieked and leapt up, away from the woman.

"AHHH! D-don't come n-near me! Ka-I mean, Cid, help!" Kagome jumped up to her friend's rescue.

"Get away woman!" she said gruffly, trying to imitate Cid. "A pretty little rich girl has got her eye on Cloud 'ere, so you'd better get your fricken little self outta here!" The woman glared at Kagome. She huffed.

"Fine! But I don't give crap about some little rich girl and Cloud! He's waaaaay too gay. Oh yeah, and my name's Lexi, not woman!" She flounced away. Sango breathed a sigh of relief.

"Whew…thanks Kagome." No sound issued from her friend. Sango looked around. She blinked. Kagome had her back to Sango, and she seemed to be shaking. Sango stared. Suddenly, Kagome burst out laughing. She couldn't help it. It was too funny. She fell over, choking for breath.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Sango, you should've seen the look on your face!" Sango…continued staring.

"Uh…"

"Especially when you screamed and leapt up! I mean, it wouldn't be that funny if you were you, but Cloud! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sango looked rather annoyed.

"Well, I don't think it would be so funny if Lexi did it to _you_." Kagome stopped laughing, although she still giggled a little.

"Heh…I suppose you're right." Sango lay back down on the blanket, shuddering.

"I really _hate_ being in Cloud's body." Kagome grinned.

"Hey, at least you're in a…um…nice-looking guy's body." Sango glanced at Kagome questioningly.

"And that's a _good_ thing? Having all these weird people coming after me?"

"Mmm…"

"Kagome!"

"What?" the girl said defensively. "You can stare at yourself all day!" Sango looked at her exasperatedly.

"I really don't want to think about that now…" Kagome smiled.

"Sango, in the future…well, it's like that."

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Yuffie was in a state of shock. She had been assaulted…by a woman! She…she…Yuffie shuddered. She looked around frantically. Where was Tifa! She was supposed to be _protecting_ her! She spotted Tifa chatting with Sango and Kagome, with two ice-cream cones topped with ice-cream in her hands. Yuffie rushed over. Tifa turned around.

"Oh, hey Yuffie! Here's your ice-cream." She handed the shaking ninja a chocolate ice-cream. "You won't _believe_ what happed to San-"

"Tifa!" Yuffie cried, interrupting her. "Oh my GAWD, you won't _believe_ what just happened to me!" Tifa blinked.

"Uh…what?" The teenager rushed into her story.

"Okay, so you went off to buy ice-creams, right? Anyway, I was just standing there, waiting for you, all innocent, when _suddenly_, a girl came over to me and tried to _seduce_ me and all! She was all like, 'Hey hottie', and I was like 'What!', and she was like 'mmm…', and I was like 'arrrrrgh!', and she was like 'mreow!', and I was like 'eeek!', and she was like 'uh…', and I was like 'help!', and she was like 'ugh…', and walked off!" Yuffie exclaimed hurriedly, looking wildly around. "That's her!" she whispered, pointing at a blonde that had pink streaks and purple highlights in her hair. The blonde was chatting animatedly with another guy. Tifa blinked again, trying to process all the information. Sango's eyes widened.

"That girl did that to me too!" she gasped. Yuffie and Sango stared at each other. A look of horror formed on Yuffie's face.

"We have to keep Vinnie, I mean, Inuyasha, away from her."

"Uh…why?" Tifa asked.

"Because," Yuffie said seriously, "he's one of those tall, silent, and h-I mean, cool guys. Even though he _is_ a bit creepy. That slut will probably be all over him."

"Inuyasha isn't tall, silent, or cool," Tifa said.

"Not Inuyasha! Well…Vinnie! Inuyasha's in Vinnie's body!"

"Oh." Kagome leaned close to Yuffie.

"Yuffie, were you about to call Vincent _hot_?" Yuffie blushed furiously.

"What! Of course not!"

"Then why are you blushing?"

"…shut up!"

* * *

Excuse me for the horrible cliffhanger I attempted at the end of the last chapter. I just realized that I didn't have a cliffhanger in any of the chapters, so I "attempted" one. For all the people that are now thinking, "Kagome and Inuyasha? What the-!", well, don't worry. I'm not gonna make it _too_ easy for them. There are still…ah…other problems between their relationship to be addressed. As for Cloud's little drunk escapade with Tifa there…it was just something that happened because of Cloud's drunk, confused little mind. It doesn't really mean anything. He _did_ get confused and thought that he saw Aeris, but she vanished as soon as he blinked. Heehee, I laughed at Cloud's little pink chocobo dream. Oh yes, and I mean no offense to anyone that's named Lexi. It just seems like a really, really, really girly name (to me), so I named Lexi, Lexi! I can just imagine Sango's reaction to Lexi's…ah…behavior. Heheheh…next chapter, Chapter 10 - The Confrontation.

By the way, I _still_ have a huge writer's block for Chapter 12. Yeah.


	10. The Confrontation

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover and Lexi belong to me. Blah blah blah…

Ok, I'm going to make the author notes/reviewer replies shorter. MUCH shorter. I'll reply long and detailed in the "reply to this review" function when you guys review, cause it just takes up too much of the chapter. I have like, 5000+ words per chapter, but I'm sure AT LEAST 1000 is made up of author notes and reviews. So, I'm only gonna put some important stuff here.

**VincentValentine13**: Heehee, yeah, Sesshomaru VS Vincent. OMG, YOU AGREE WITH ME! I should REALLY start a "I hate Kagome!" fansite. So many people agree with the "I hate Kagome" thing. Yes!

**Charan-Amaya**: Wowzers, long review. You don't have to make it so long, ya know. XDLol, Hojo will come in later. Be patient! Probably in…the "20s" chapters. I don't really like Jaken either, but I don't hate him. Well, I support VincentxLucrecia, but that's only in like, stories about Vincent's past and stuff. I suppose in this story…WAIT. I shouldn't say it, it'll spoil the chapter. But, most of the pairings in this story (for the FFVII characters) are important in the plot, so they're not just me going "I support NAMExNAME!". Lol. Ew, AerisxSephiroth. Sorry, I just can't see that. But yes, she's kind. That's why I like her! EW, KAGOME! -runs off to kill Kagome- XD

I know (for all you Sesshomaru fans) that Sesshomaru's supposed to be really fast/powerful and all, but since all the Inuyasha characters in this fanfiction are weaker than the FFVII characters, well…please don't complain about how Sesshomaru is in this chapter. I won't say more about him here; it'll simply spoil the chapter. Oh yeah, and don't kill me on Miroku's behavior with Lexi please. He doesn't understand what she _really_ means. Well, not in that way, anyway…

Oh yeah, when Vincent's talking to Sesshomaru, he's still talking to Sesshomaru, even though it may say something like "Inuyasha turned around", because to Sesshomaru, Vincent is Inuyasha. He doesn't know that they've switched. When Vincent's thinking and stuff, he's referred to as Vincent, but when he's interacting with Sesshomaru, he's referred to as Inuyasha. So don't get confused!

A late Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all! My birthday was last Thursday (December 29).

Sidenote: I beat Demon's Gate! I beat Disk 1 actually, and WHY DID AERIS HAVE TO DIE! -sob- -sigh- Oh well…-makes a shrine to Aeris- Did you guys know that FFVII's world is actually called Gaia? An interview (I read about it) with one of the producers proved that. I didn't know that before. XD

* * *

Chapter 10 - The Confrontation

Sesshomaru closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain in his left shoulder. This was not right. Inuyasha wouldn't abandon the Tessaiga. He wouldn't act so calm, so cocky, so…so superior. It bothered him. What was going on? Why was Inuyasha acting this way? Was it because of the recent events, with all the new demons and villages? But…why would that affect Inuyasha?

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said slowly. "Why are you acting this way? You aren't acting like…normal." Inuyasha looked at him.

"…it is none of your business." Sesshomaru's temper rose.

"It is my business," he said coldly, emphasizing every word, "to know what is going on with you."

"…and why is that?"

"Because I am going to kill you. And, would I not want to know what happened to my brother? After all, this _will_ be the last time I talk to you." Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" Sesshomaru looked at him.

"Yes. I doubt that you will be resurrected like the dead priestess, Kikyo." Vincent frowned inwardly. Kikyo? Who was Kikyo? Never mind, there wasn't time to ponder that. Vincent turned around.

"…as I said before, it is none of your business. And I do not wish to fight you at this moment." Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

"Don't want to fight Lord Sesshomaru?" Jaken echoed, gasping. He stared, open-mouthed at Inuyasha. "But you _always_ fight Lord Sesshomaru! You can't just…leave!" Rin looked from Sesshomaru to Jaken to Inuyasha. She blinked.

"What's going on Lord Sesshomaru?" she asked, looking confused.

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru said slowly. "You are but a half demon. Yet you have the face to say that you actually do not want to fight me now, as if I am too lowly for you?" Inuyasha didn't turn around.

"…half demons are not as weak as you think. If they were, would I be able to hurt you and escape injury?" Sesshomaru's face darkened.

"You-!" Inuyasha turned around and suddenly threw something. There was an explosion of smoke. Rin shrieked and jumped back, colliding into Jaken. As the smoke dissipated, Sesshomaru looked up. Inuyasha was gone.

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Inuyasha (the real one) strode through a forest at the base of a mountain. Of course, he didn't show it, but he was feeling overjoyed and giddy inside. He had confessed to Kagome, and she had confessed back! Inuyasha nearly twirled in midair, but didn't. She loved him! She loved him! She…

"But what about Kikyo?" a part of his mind asked. Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. Kikyo…Kikyo…why didn't he think of Kikyo before! What would Kikyo say? If she found out…"Do I love Kikyo?" he asked himself. Well…he still missed her. He still wanted her to come to him. He still wished for her to be fully alive. He couldn't banish the memory of her lips upon his…

"What have I done?" Inuyasha moaned. He still loved Kikyo, yet he told Kagome that he loved her. What would Kikyo say if she found out? What would _Kagome_ say if she found out? He didn't want to break her heart, but he didn't want to break Kikyo's either. Why did he always have to choose one? But then…did Kikyo love him? After what Naraku did fifty years ago, their love had been broken. After what Naraku did…Inuyasha wasn't sure whether Kikyo could ever feel the same way about him, even if she _knew_ that it was Naraku who had caused everything. No, Kikyo _must_ love him. She had to, or else she wouldn't have threatened Tsubaki that time, when the dark priestess was in possession of the sacred jewel (or half of it). So…so…so…

"Kagome and Kikyo can't find out," Inuyasha decided. "Because, if they did…they would never forgive me. Ever…"

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Miroku strode along the path, feeling rather down. Last night, he and Sango had walked along the streets of Costa Del Sol. They talked about Miroku's past, Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, and Kohaku. Sango had seemed really miserable when she talked about Kohaku. Miroku had told her that, no matter what happens in the future, he would always be there to help her and Kohaku. Sango had broke down, sobbing into his arms. He had held her there, under the bright moon…

Miroku spotted something. It was a small patch of flowers. Strange-looking flowers. They had different petals, leaves, and some had thorns. They also looked familiar. Miroku gasped as a thought struck him. No way…they _couldn't_ be! Well, there was only one way to find out. Miroku bend down and took a deep whiff of one of the flowers. The flower disappeared and Miroku instantly felt dizzy. He groaned and shook his head, closing his eyes.

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Sesshomaru looked around the clearing. Although the smoke covered it a little, Inuyasha's scent could still be followed. Sesshomaru darted forward, turning into a globe of light was he sped, determined to keep Inuyasha from escaping.

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Barret blinked. He had felt a wave of nausea for a moment, then suddenly, he was smack in the middle of a forest! Barret looked down. The ground seemed to be far away, and his right arm felt…weird. His eyes widened. He was back in his body! Somehow, he had switched back to his body! He wasn't in Tifa's body anymore…

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Inuyasha was running. The long, wide sleeves of his red yukata fanned out behind…wait a moment. The long, wide sleeves of _his_ red yukata? Inuyasha stopped running. He stood and stared. He was back in his body! His long, white hair blew about him and his ears twitched on top of his head. The Tessaiga was safely strapped onto him, and he was holding Vincent's gun. He head someone rushing towards him. And that scent…it was…it was…

Inuyasha's eyes widened. He whipped around. Standing behind him was Sesshomaru. He looked the same as ever, except that his shoulder armor was gone and his shoulder was bleeding.

"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha snarled. He tucked the Sniper CR into his clothes and pulled out the Tessaiga. Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? So _now_ you choose to use the Tessaiga?"

"What do you mean, _now I choose_? I've always used the Tessaiga!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Yet you were using a different weapon before and actually injured me, although this is nothing," Sesshomaru said coolly. "And now you are acting different. You acted strange, back in the clearing."

"…what?" Inuyasha stared uncomprehendingly at his elder brother. "I…injured you? Acted weird? What?" Inuyasha thought for a moment. Realization suddenly hit him. "It must've been _him_," Inuyasha muttered. And _he_ was…

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Vincent found himself walking along a trail. Alone. And he felt…normal. To himself, anyway. So, somehow, they had all switched back in two days. A mere _two days_. Vincent heard noises up ahead. Someone was shouting, and someone was replying. Both voices were quite familiar…

Vincent walked through the trees and came upon two people. His eyes narrowed. It was Sesshomaru and…Inuyasha. Facing each other. And Inuyasha had his gun. How convenient.

"Vincent! What the hell? What are _you_ doing here! What happened before? What-"

"Inuyasha," Vincent cut in smoothly. "I believe you still have the Sniper CR?" Inuyasha stopped rambling. He stared at Vincent, ears twitching.

"Uh…yeah." He took out the gun from the folds of his clothes and handed it to Vincent.

"…inventory?" Inuyasha felt around, then pulled out a small black box. He gave it to Vincent (the item inventory and the gill inventory are combined into one, although they work differently and are in different compartments).

Sesshomaru watched them though narrowed eyes. The stranger was undoubtedly a demon. He had red eyes and did not look entirely human. He acted much like Inuyasha back at the clearing. Wait…was that possible? Could it be possible that this "Vincent" was Inuyasha before? Perhaps…

"Vincent," Inuyasha demanded. "Did you fight Sesshomaru a few minutes ago?" Vincent glanced at the other demon. Sesshomaru was watching him closely.

"…yes."

"You didn't try to kill him?"

"…that is precisely the reason I left. I did not know how you would feel if I killed you…brother." Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow. So, _that_ was why he fled. Inuyasha smiled, satisfied.

"Good. Cause I wanna kill him, and if you killed him, there would be no brother of mine left to kill."

"Assuming," Sesshomaru said, cutting into the conversation, "that you manage to kill me. I would be surprised if you actually succeed in injuring me. Vincent may have injured me, but you have not." Inuyasha scowled and brought up the Tessaiga.

"Oh yeah?" he snarled. "Well, I'll kill you right now, since I'm back in my body!" Inuyasha leapt forward, swinging the Tessaiga. Sesshomaru dodged easily and counter-striked with the Tokijin. The sword let forth a wave of blue light that streaked towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha jumped up, avoiding the attack. "Take this!" he yelled. "WIND SCAR!" The Wind Scar whipped towards Sesshomaru, ripping up trees in its wake. Sesshomaru swung his sword and managed to prevent the Wind Scar from hitting him with another burst of demonic energy from the Tokijin. "RAAAAAAH!" Inuyasha roared as he swung the Tessaiga, aiming for Sesshomaru's head. Sesshomaru dodged it with amazing speed and swung his sword again. Inuyasha turned as fast as he could, but he wasn't quick enough. The sword sliced through Inuyasha's yukata and pierced his left arm. Inuyasha back flipped and landed, clutching his arm, which was bleeding rather badly. Inuyasha groaned, then tightened his grip on the Tessaiga. He leapt again.

Vincent watched Inuyasha and Sesshomaru exchange blows. Clang, clang, clang, clang, thump, thump, clang, clang, clang, clang over and over again. Inuyasha used the Wind Scar, but Sesshomaru deflected it. And the clanging started over. Once again, Inuyasha tried the Wind Scar, and once again, Sesshomaru deflected it. Inuyasha was already delivering blows at Sesshomaru, who blocked them, but the elder brother changed tactics. He started running around Inuyasha, in a circle. He went so fast that dust and dirt flew as he sped. Inuyasha constantly changed directions, but it was no use. Sesshomaru suddenly used his light whip. It tangled Inuyasha's legs and slashed them. Just was the hanyo fell, Sesshomaru plunged his fist into his younger brother's stomach. Inuyasha's eyes widened. He slumped to the ground, his breath coming in searing gasps. Blood dripped gently from his wound, staining the grass beneath him. A slight smile curled Sesshomaru's lips. He raised the Tokijin.

"It's over, little brother," he whispered. The sword came down.

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Miroku blinked. He was half-naked and sitting on a beach towel. He turned around and found himself staring at Cid's face.

"Ahhh!" they both yelled, and fell backward. Miroku's arm fell onto hot sand. He snatched it up and sat upright. After taking a whiff of the strange flower, he had felt dizzy and ended up here. In his own body. And it seemed as though Cid had also returned to his body, judging by his yell. Miroku looked at the people around him. There was Cid, Cloud, and…his eyes alighted on Sango.

Holy. Buddha. Sango was…was…was…_beautiful_. The monk's eyes widened considerably. She was wearing a two-piece swimsuit. Her midriff was bare, her legs were bare, her arms were bare, and her back was bare. The only pieces of clothing Sango was wearing was a weird-shaped piece of cloth around her private spot and an…underwear? Well, it sure looked like it. Miroku goggled at her.

Sango found herself in Tifa's position. They had switched back! And…and…Miroku was giving her a strange look. A disturbing one. His chest was bare. God, he looked so…so…_hot_, as Kagome and Yuffie would put it. But why was Miroku looking at her like that? Why…?

Sango's eyes grew big as she realized why. Oh no. Oh no. Oh _please_ no.

"Sango," Miroku croaked, his voice oddly hoarse. "You…you're…I…I…"

"Don't you dare get any ideas Miroku!" Sango said fiercely. She bent down hurriedly and wrapped a beach towel around her body. Miroku's dismal expression was so hilarious that Sango would've laughed, if she wasn't the one that caused it. Just then, as Sango was securely fastening the beach towel, a girl came over. Sango stared. It was Lexi! Cloud chuckled at her look of disgust, surprise, and wariness. His chuckle was a deep, rich rumble that came from his chest. Lexi squealed with delight.

"Oooooh, Cloud!" She threw herself on him, nearly knocking him backwards. "I don't care if a pretty little rich girl has her eye on you, I savant you Cloudy!" Cloud blinked.

"Uh…" Lexi crawled onto (well, tried to crawl onto) him, lying right next to him. Cloud had to hold her at an arm's length away to stop her from completely eating him.

"Clooooouuuuud," the young woman purred. "You're sooooo hot." She inched closer, despite Cloud's efforts, and put her face centimeters away from his. "Come on Cloud, go out on a date with me! You know you can't resist me." She smiled saucily. Cloud grinned.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm already taken." Lexi's face fell.

"Aw, but Cloooouuud!"

"Sorry. Why don't you try someone else?" Lexi pouted, then turned to Miroku.

"Hey cutie. Wanna go out with me?" Miroku stared. He cleared his throat.

"Erm…I don't know about 'going out', but…" He grabbed her hands. "Will you bear my children?" Sango's eyes flashed with fury. Lexi looked surprised.

"Um…are you asking me if I wanna do it with you?" Miroku had no idea what she was talking about.

"Er…of course!" Lexi blinked.

"Well, that's a weird way to put it…but sure!" Miroku gaped at her.

"You mean, you _will_!" Lexi grinned.

"Yup!" Miroku looked delighted. Lexi beamed. "Wanna meet me at the hotel tonight?"

"Of course I will-"

"NO." Everyone blinked and turned towards Sango, who was fuming. Her beach towel had some undone and fell on the hot sand. Sango glared furiously at Miroku, then at Lexi. "He's also taken." Lexi laughed.

"If he was, why would he-"

"I don't think he understood what you were asking," Cloud said seriously.

"What!"

"Of course he didn't understand what you were saying!" Sango growled. "Isn't that right _Miroku_?" Miroku looked nervously at her.

"Uh…uh…y-yes, w-why certainly!"

"Oh," Lexi said, looking disappointed. "Guess I'll have to try that guy over there." Lexi turned to Cloud. "But I still want you Cloudy!" Cloud smiled sheepishly.

"Slut," Cid muttered. Lexi turned on him.

"What did you call me!" she cried furiously. Cid snorted.

"I called you a slut, whore. Got a problem with that?"

"Why you-!"

"Get the hell outta here, whore." Lexi was shaking so badly that tears came out of her eyes. She clapped Cid with all her might.

"You stupid JERK! You ASSHOLE! GOD!" The girl stomped away, crying. Cid winced.

"I reckon you were too harsh on her," Cloud told him. Cid grumbled. Miroku looked at Sango. She had her back turned and wouldn't look at him. She hadn't even bothered covering herself with the beach towel. Miroku looked to the other men. Cid was gingerly prodding his swollen cheek and Cloud had put on sunglasses. He lounged on the towel, under the beach umbrella. Miroku stared…and shrugged.

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PONG. Sesshomaru's eyes widened as the sword veered to the side. He missed! Something had hit the sword and knocked it to the side. Sesshomaru dodged as another bullet came towards him, but he wasn't quick enough to dodge the second one. It lodged itself in his stomach. He doubled over momentarily and Inuyasha managed to get away. Sesshomaru's head snapped up, his eyes flashing with fury.

Vincent had his gun out, and was pointing it directly at him. His red eyes were staring levelly at the injured dog demon. Sesshomaru's eyes flashed scarlet.

"You-!"

"Yes, I," Vincent said calmly. "Much as I did not want to interfere with you…personal issues, I could not let you simply kill Inuyasha." Sesshomaru's eyes now glowed red.

"How _dare_ you let Inuyasah escape!" Inuyasha gasped in pain, kneeling.

"Vincent…stay out of this."

"…I saved your life, and all you can say is to tell me to stay out of this?" Inuyasha winced with pain.

"Well, sorry, but if you stayed out of this, you wouldn't be in any trouble. Now you're on Sesshomaru's hit list."

"…" Sesshomaru's hair flew up. He grew taller, bigger, and fur sprouted from his skin. He was transforming into his demonic dog form. Vincent looked up, an eyebrow raised.

"…and this is?"

"That's Sesshomaru's true form," Inuyasha answered. He tried to get up, but groaned with pain and collapsed. Vincent pulled out a hi-potion and tossed it to the injured hanyo.

"Drink half the bottle and pour the rest on your wounds." Inuyasha looked at the purple liquid disgustedly.

"I'm not taking that stuff!"

"…" Sesshomaru was now fully transformed, and gave a deafening roar. He lunged at the worthless, small, red-clad figure in front of him. Although it was demon, it wouldn't be able to defeat the mighty Lord Sesshomaru!

Vincent dodged and Sesshomaru turned. He threw out a paw. Vincent lunged sideways and shot. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. The bullets went straight into the huge dog demon's left leg. It howled and batted at him, then let leash a large ball of demonic energy from its mouth. Vincent double-flipped and used Deathblow. BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM. All the bullets were driven into Sesshomaru's chest. The demon shrieked with pain and rage. Balls of energy exploded all around Vincent. One burned his right arm. Vincent gritted his teeth. No matter; it was just a burn. He used cure. Vincent started running. He ran so fast that only his cape was visible, flying through the trees and air. Sesshomaru roared and swiped at the air. He snapped at the cape, but missed. It swirled around his head, and suddenly, large gashes appeared in Sesshomaru's face. A bullet was shot right into his ear. The huge dog let out a scream

Inuyasha growled angrily and watched the battle. It wasn't fair; he wanted to fight Sesshomaru too! But he was hurt badly….Inuyasha looked at the hi-potion. Well…it was his only choice. The hanyo drank half the bottle and dumped the rest into the hole in his stomach. The liquid glowed for a moment, then his wound…healed. Inuyasha couldn't believe it. His wound…his wound had healed! Inuyasha jumped up and grabbed the Tessaiga, flexing his claws. It was time to get back into action. At that moment, Sesshomaru screamed.

The pain…he had never felt anything like it. It felt even worse than when Inuyasha sliced off his arm…or, it felt the same, at least. The bullets in him were searing…searing with such pain. They burned relentlessly. Especially the one in his torn ear. The pain…

Sesshomaru felt himself shrinking. He was shrinking, and the Tenseiga was glowing. It glowed brightly as Sesshomaru returned to his normal form. The Tenseiga omitted a huge flash of light and disappeared, taking its owner along with it.

Inuyasha stared. He had gotten up, ready to fight, just as Sesshomaru disappeared. He _disappeared_. And Inuyasha hadn't even gotten a good chance to fight him!

"Vincent-!" Inuyasha growled. Vincent blew on the top of the Sniper CR's barrel.

"…he's gone," he said quietly.

"I can see that! Damn! The Tenseiga teleported him somewhere, and I didn't' even get a chance to fight him!" Vincent tucked his gun back into his belt.

"…you were fighting him before he transformed."

"Grr…you know what I mean!"

"…"

"Damn! Bastard!"

"…" Vincent started walking away.

"Hey! Where're you going!" Inuyasha yelled.

"…back to Costa Del Sol. Since we are all back to normal, we can continue with our quest."

"Grr…" Inuyasha looked after the retreating figure. "Hey, wait up!"

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"Hey! Kagome!" Kagome looked around. She saw Tifa and Yuffie waving at her. She smiled.

"Oh, hi Tifa! Hi Yuffie! It's good to see you guys again." Yuffie giggled.

"Heheheh, we just saw each other around five minutes ago." Kagome laughed with her.

"Heh, Yuffie, I mean, it's good to see you guys in your rightful bodies again." Tifa smiled.

"Yeah. Come one, let's go to the villa. I see Cloud, Miroku, Sango, and Cid." Kagome looked around. Sure enough, four figures were trooping back to the villa. They waved.

"Heya guys! Whooo!" Yuffie hollered. She, Tifa, and Kagome ran up the steps to the front door.

"Hey," said Cloud.

"You left me!" Sango said, glaring at Kagome in mock anger. "Let me with _three men_!"

"Oh Sango, I'm so sorry!" Kagome replied, stifling a giggle.

"Look," Cid said suddenly. "There's dog-ears and Vince." Everyone leaned over the side of the bridge and saw Vincent and Inuyasha coming towards them. Inuyasha looked slightly grouchy and Vincent was the same as ever, emotionless. They came up the stairs.

"Hi guys!" Tifa said. Inuyasha glared at the door of the villa. Cloud unlocked it. Inuyasha spoke as soon as he got inside.

"We met Sesshomaru." Kagome gasped.

"Did you fight him?" Shippo asked.

"What do ya think!" Inuyasha snapped.

"Did you…kill him?" Kagome asked tentatively.

"Of course not! Does it look like I killed him?"

"Oh."

"I didn't even get to fight him that much!" Inuyasha growled angrily.

"Well…uh, since we're all back to normal, do you guys wanna leave?" Cloud asked everyone.

"But we haven't stayed three nights yet!" Sango objected.

"We can get a refund," Red said. "It's all for the better."

"Yeah." Everyone agreed.

"Grab your stuff and go," Cloud told them all. He picked up a small bag and headed out the door. Everyone packed and met at the entrance to the resort town. Cloud walked up to the lady in the booth. "We would like a two-night refund please," he said. The woman checked her records, then nodded.

"Alright," she said. "So, that would be…" The woman calculated. "A 15, 000 gil refund." The woman packed the coins into a bag and handed it to Cloud. He thanked her and they all left the town.

"So…where shall we go?" Sango asked as Cloud put the bag of gil into the main part of his gil inventory (the shared part).

"We've only taken a one-day break," Yuffie said sadly.

"Yeah," Cait Sith sighed. "Well, a one-night break. That's two days, I suppose." He suddenly perked up. "Hey, we can go to the Gold Saucer for a day!"

"Yeah, cool!" Yuffie cried.

"I'm all for it!" Cid declared.

"I'm fine with it," Red said.

"Sure," Barret grunted.

"Great!" Tifa giggled. Cloud smiled.

"All right. It's only a short walk from here, after all."

"What the hell's the Gold Saucer?" Inuyasha demanded.

"An amusement park!" Cait Sith replied excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Oh, goodie!" Kagome exclaimed. "I haven't been to one for such a long time!"

"Is it a place that is supposed to make you amused?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Er…sort of," Kagome replied.

"It's only around ten minutes away," Tifa told them all. "Come on!"

* * *

Heehee, I can just imagine Cloud sobbing into Barret's arms (Miroku and Sango's night stroll). That'll make a funny picture. -takes a picture, then blackmails Cloud and Barret- Cloud: "WHAT THE-!" Barret: "AHHHH! SPIKE! WHAT THE #$!" Lol, anyway, I've taken a good look at the Silver Rifle when I was playing the game, and IT LOOKS HORRIBLE. It's so short! I thought rifles were supposed to be long. -sigh- I love the Lariat though! It has a great name, and I think it's a two-barreled gun. I'm not sure…but anyways, it's much better than the Silver Rifle. I still think the Sniper CR's cool. Next chapter: Chapter 11 - The Dimension Materia.

By the way, I have gotten over my writer's block for chapter 12. It's really long, I've finished writing chapter 13, and I'm nearly done with chapter 14. Great progress! Yeah! Remember to REVIEW. Thank you.


	11. The Dimension Materia

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover and a certain monster that is one of the main characters in this chapter belong to me. Blah blah blah…

YES! Finally, no long author notes here. I've uploaded this chapter up at the same time as the previous one, so there were no reviews for the last chapter to reply too. Not much to say either, except that, as you all know, in the normal text of this fanfiction, words that are in _italics_ are emphasized. In this chapter, however, words that are in _italics_ will be flashbacks (so, they're the past, not present). Words that are normal (not in italics) in the flashbacks will be emphasized words. Well…if you see whole paragraphs that are in italics, they are flashbacks. If you only see a few words at once that are in italics, they're still emphasized. Hope you guys don't get confused! This chapter is kinda short. Well, shorter than usual.

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Chapter 11 - The Dimension Materia

Naraku watched the mirror. He saw AVALANCHE and the Inuyasha-tachi laughing and joking as they walked towards the Gold Saucer.

"…they seem to be getting along well," Naraku commented softly. "_Very_ well." Kagura scowled and fanned herself rigidly.

"Well, they shouldn't be getting along so well. How will they capture Inuyasha and the others once all the shards are collected, if they're best friends?"

"Oh, there is no need to worry Kagura," Naraku replied. "The lure of their dead ones being revived will overpower their friendship." Kagura glanced at him.

"You really _are_ an evil one, aren't you?" Naraku did not answer, but a smile curled his lips.

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Sephiroth could not move. He struggled fruitlessly, but nothing worked. Surprisingly, his body did not need to breathe, eat, drink, sleep, or do anything else. It was as still as a statue. He couldn't even move his eyes. His feet were rooted to the ground. Sephiroth couldn't believe it. Somehow, that monster had paralyzed him. Somehow, it had defeated _him_, the mighty Sephiroth! That was supposed to be impossible…but it _had_ overpowered him, and he remembered the battle clearly.

_It had been a fine, sunlit morning. He was strolling along the mountain path, heading towards the snow-capped peak that loomed over the small village below. The reunion was drawing near…very near. Sephiroth looked up at the sky. Soon, the earth would be destroyed. He just had to wait a little longer. Just a while longer. Soon…_

_The mountain started shaking. The earth, the town, the rocks, the _sky_. The whole area was shaking. Sephiroth frowned and drove the Masumune into the ground. No, it wasn't just the area that was shaking. Strange…he hadn't summoned Meteor yet. So, why was the world shaking? Sephiroth gripped the hilt of the sword tightly as the world gave a final, violent lurch. Clouds of dust obscured his vision for a moment. They settled. Sephiroth's eyes widened, then narrowed. Snow-covered pine trees had suddenly appeared. They were dotted all over the mountain, occasionally bunching together to form a forest. There were odd creatures bumbling around in the distance. What had just happened? Sephiroth could feel an odd power that a form in the distance was emitting. It was also glowing pink. Well, if it was power, the ex-general had to check it out. Sephiroth pulled the Masumune out of the ground and sped towards the glowing creature. It flew high into the sky and headed off, but not before Sephiroth saw what it was. Sephiroth stopped, his frown deepening. It was a bee. A huge bee. It had a glowing shard of something in it. And that shard of something was powerful._

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The beast growled. It was free, and it was in control. But no…its freedom was gone. Taken away. It was controlled. By a mere human! How could it have lost its freedom to a _human_? How? No. It was not controlled by the human. It was controlled by the thing the human had implanted in its back. Yes. That was it. How stupid of it to think that a mere _human_ controlled it. Humans always needed something powerful to dominate. To control. A human would be as helpless as a newborn kitten if it had all its little toys taken away. But still, there was the fact that the human _did_ control it through the thing that was in its back. And it couldn't do anything to break that human's power. No. It was helpless. Controlled. Chained. By a shard in its back.

Naraku had let it spread its wings and fly today while he watched the guinea pigs in his little game. It could go wherever it wanted, as long as it didn't cause any trouble. Oh, and one other thing. It was not to be seen. That left it a few choices. It could go to the North Crater. Or to the mountains near Wutai. Or to the ruined Temple of Ancients. Of course, the beast could also go to the desert near the Corel Mountains, next to Costa Del Sol. Not many places. The beast changed directions in midair and headed towards Wutai. The North Crater was too cold…though the beast didn't really mind the frigidness. It risked a better chance of being seen in the desert. The Temple of Ancients gave it a disturbed feeling. So, the best place would be the mountains near Wutai. The people of the town didn't travel in the mountains often, for there were ferocious monsters.

The beast landed softly at the base of a mountain. Perfect. Peace and quiet. It folded its wings and sat down to find a way to break out of Naraku's control. But there was no way. None. It had tried before, but nothing worked. When Naraku willed something, its body simply obeyed. There was not use fighting it. It was easier just to go along. At least it had control over its body if it went along. It had tried to take the shard out of its body, but its body would just freeze whenever it tried. The only was to get free was to get someone else to take the shard out, but no human would dare approach it. Usually, the beast would find this very satisfying, but now it found it annoying. The monster sighed and leaned against the mountain. It thought back to that day, quite a while ago, when it had lost its freedom…

_It had found the materia in a pool of mako, in the Sleeping Forest. As soon as it picked the silver orb up, some kind of force went through it. It had changed slightly and had grown stronger. Something had told it to protect the materia…to guard it. But what told it that? What? And it realized just what it was. The Planet…the Planet had made it the guardian of the materia. it would protect the materia if it was the last thing it did. But…what _was_ the materia? How did it work? The beast heard the Planet whispering to it. It was the first and only one of its kind. A dimension materia. Using the materia, the guardian could travel anywhere. To any world it wanted! The beast smirked. The materia was precious. It would not allow anyone else to have it. The monster held the materia tightly and willed it to take its guardian to another world._

_Its wish had been granted. It was in another world! But the sudden change had dazed it, and it had accidentally dropped the materia. As its mind cleared, it saw a woman pick the materia up. It flashed in anger at its carelessness. Five minutes with the materia, and now it was in another's hands! It ordered the woman to give it back, but she refused. Why, she even smirked at it! Such insolence. It attacked her, but she escaped. She attacked it, but she barely even scratched it. It smiled as the woman looked terrified. To its annoyance, she managed to avoid injury from its attack, and fled on. She flew straight through a barrier. The dragon roared with rage. It would never be so careless again. As it pummeled the barrier, it promised itself that it would not loose the materia again, once it got it back. Unfortunately for the beast, it never got that chance._

The dragon remembered how the barrier shook and broke when it launched its final blast. And it also remembered when, in a terrifying moment, it realized that the materia broke. The world it had been born in and the world it was currently in combined with a clash. It had flew, in such a rage, towards the castle. Somehow, it knew that the man inside the castle dropped the materia. It set out to kill him. It had disregarded the thing that was heading toward it, glinting in the sunlight. And that was a _big_ mistake.

_After Naraku gained control of the creature with a Shikon Jewel shard, he summoned it to him. He ordered it to explain everything to him, and so it did. After the story, Naraku thought for a long time. Finally, he spoke._

_"Is there anyone I should be worried about?" The beast smirked._

_"No," it lied. A jolt of pain shot through its body and left it gasping._

_"Do not lie to me," Naraku said quietly. The dragon growled. It loathed to tell the truth to the puny human man that stood before it, but it had no choice._

_"Yes," it grumbled. "Sephiroth…" The man raised an eyebrow._

_"Sephiroth?" Naraku frowned quizzically._

_"Yes!" the monster snarled furiously. It told Naraku all about the man. And with every piece of information received, Naraku's frown deepened._

_"He is dangerous," Naraku murmured. "We shall have to get rid of him."_

_"We?" The beast laughed. It was silenced by Naraku's smile._

_"Yes. You will go and either kill him or do something to make sure that he will not get in my way."_

_"Me?" The dragon laughed again. "I am not strong enough to defeat him." It did not like the look Naraku gave it._

_"With another jewel shard," he said softly, "you will be."_

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_Sephiroth gazed out over the mountains and valleys that were covered in snow. So. Somehow, the Planet had changed. And there was a new source of power. Power that could make him stronger than he already was. Bu why bother? Why go to so much trouble just for something else when the world was going to be destroyed anyway? No…it was much easier to wait for the reunion. Then he would summon Meteor and end it. End everything. Destroy the Planet. A smile lifted the corners of Sephiroth's mouth. Everything was going to be alright. And the Planet would be his._

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_The dragon spotted the tall, white-haired figure. Ah. There he is. It flew toward the man, flapping its huge wings hard. Even with two jewel shards, the beast would not escape injury. No. Sephiroth was much too powerful. But, it supposed that it _could_ restrain Sephiroth. It probably couldn't kill him, but it could paralyze him. The man would probably be as good as dead. The monster gritted its teeth. This fight wasn't going to be nice. It did not want to fight Sephiroth, but it had no choice. And Sephiroth wasn't going to help it._

_Sephiroth frowned as he saw a great dragon flying towards him. The ex-general was sure that the dragon was coming for _him_, because it was glaring his way. Sephiroth's frown deepened as he realized that the beast had two glowing shards in it, just the bee (except that the bee only had one). One was in its back, near the spine. The other was in its neck. Oh, and a few of those strange bees followed it. The great dragon stopped in midair, before Sephiroth._

_"Sephiroth," it rumbled._

_"Why do you seek me?" Sephiroth asked slowly, his right hand gripping the Masumune. The beast chuckled._

_"Now, if I told you that, it would be a dead giveaway. Pun intended."_

_"Why?" Sephiroth demanded, eyes narrowing. The monster merely smiled, showing all of its horrifying fangs. These, of course, had no effect on Sephiroth. "What are the two things you possess?" The beast stopped smiling and looked at the man suspiciously._

_"What two things?" it growled. Sephiroth brought the Masumune up and drove it into the ground._

_"The shards in your neck and back." The dragon's eyes widened._

_"So…you can see them?" Sephiroth nodded curtly. The monster looked at him. "Huh," it mumbled under its breath. "Naraku said that nobody except priestesses could see them."_

_"What was that?" The beast looked up sharply._

_"Nothing. Could you…help me get them out?" Sephiroth pulled up the Masumune._

_"And why could I want to help you?" he asked coolly._

_"I could be of use to you," the dragon said quietly. Sephiroth laughed._

_"I need no one to help me," he said. "So no, you would not be useful." Sephiroth looked up at the beast. "What are you here fore?" It flexed its claws._

_"I am here to kill you, of course." Sephiroth raised an eyebrow._

_"To kill me, you imbecile? You think you can do that?" The creature looked him in the eye._

_"I can." Sephiroth smiled._

_"I see." He held up the Masumune. "What are you anyway? The Bahmut? I thought it was in a summon materia." He jumped as the dragon lashed out with a claw. It smiled._

_"No. I am the Bahmut's brother." It flew forward. "The Bahuite sends its greetings to you, Sephiroth."_

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Kagura wandered around the castle grounds. She couldn't believe that Naraku managed to gain control over that dragon demon so quickly. He even let it go out. If Naraku hadn't gained control of it…Kagura shuddered. Undoubtedly, the dragon would've killed them all. With the two jewel shards, it had managed to defeat the strange man it had talked about. Sephiroth…or whatever that lunatic's name was. Well, the monster had made Sephiroth sound like a lunatic when it talked about him a long time ago. Come on, who would want to destroy a planet to become God? What would he become God over? Dead trees? Dirt? Kagura rolled her eyes. What about the band that was traveling with Inuyasha and his friends? Kagura was worried. Of course, they had to get along well. But they couldn't get along _too_ well. Cloud and the others weren't stupid. If they became close friends with Inuyasha and co, they would start to trust them more. Then Naraku's plans would fail and all would be lost. Kagura gritted her teeth. Naraku's plan had better work. He was weak from the last battle with Inuyasha and Sesshomaru. It was fortunate that Naraku had gained control over the dangerous dragon demon. He could not afford to get attacked in his current state.

"Then again," Kagura thought viciously, "if he died, he would do everyone a great service. I would be free from his grasp. Better a dead Naraku than a live Naraku!" The wind sorceress kicked a rock. "I hate him!" she said out loud. Kagura sighed. That silvery orb…the dimension materia…what was it, anyway?

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Naraku looked at the four pieces of the dimension materia. They had lost their silvery-white glow shortly after the materia was broken. The pieces lay dull and cold in the man's hand. He stared at it, frowning. He thought back to what the beast had told him earlier.

_"How was this dimension materia formed?" Naraku asked the dragon. It looked at the pieces of the materia disdainfully._

_"You want to know how the materia came to exist?" it rumbled. Naraku nodded. The beast snorted and shifted itself into a comfortable position. "Crystallized mako," it grunted. Naraku frowned._

_"Crystallized what?"_

_"Mako," it answered. "That's how all materia are made in the first place. Materia is crystallized mako. Mako is the Planet's life energy." The monster continued before Naraku could speak. "The dimension materia is special crystallized mako, though. It is made like a summon materia, but is used like a command materia."_

_"How are summon materia made?" Naraku asked, since he had a good idea what summon materia were, and didn't need a full explanation. He looked hard at the beast. It sighed and stretched its great wings._

_"Summon materia are made," it said impatiently, "by capturing the essence of something alive in mako. The mako is then crystallized to form a materia. However, the summon materia will not work if the essence of the thing is not strong enough. In this way, you cannot trap the essence of a human being in a materia. You can only trap creatures of greater strength; creatures that are very powerful. Although the essence in a summon materia has to be that of a live creature's, the creature is dead." Naraku was greatly confused._

_"What do you mean?" The dragon scowled._

_"In order to trap the spirit of the creature in mako, the creature has to die in the mako. That way, its spirit will not fly away to join the lifestream, and its essence will be captured by the mako."_

_"So the dimension materia," Naraku said slowly, "was originally the trapped essence of a powerful monster in mako?"_

_"Yes and no," it grunted. "It was the trapped spirit of a creature, but not a powerful one, in that sense. You see, the creature was special. It was the Time Keeper from the Temple of Ancients. The Time Keeper was the creature that enabled the Cetra to travel from world to world, to find a suitable planet to live in. It had the power of world traveling. As you can probably tell, the Time Keeper died in a mako pool shortly after it went to the Sleeping Forest, since the Temple of Ancients was destroyed. The mako encased its essence and crystallized over a few days." The dragon let out a long breath. Naraku raised an eyebrow at it._

_"And how did you come to possess this materia?" The monster looked arrogantly at Naraku. It sat up tall, looking regal and frightening._

_"I am one of the first creatures to walk the Planet," it rumbled. "I have a connection with the Planet and the Cetra. The spirits of the Cetra called me to the Sleeping Forest. They gave me the dimension materia and told me to use it to travel to all the worlds, to protect it. To guard it with my life."_

_"Yet you failed."_

_"Silence! I did not know the power of the jewel you posses. I cannot overpower it, or I would! You insolent, little, impudent, useless, unimportant human!" Naraku smiled._

_"I am not entirely human," he said quietly. "I am only a half human, a hanyo." The dragon frowned and looked at Naraku suspiciously._

_"You're a hanyo? Impossible! You look human." Naraku's smile widened._

_"Ah, but this is only my human form. I grow less human every day."_

_"You have another form?" The beast growled. "Do not lie."_

_"I am not lying. I can choose to be human or demon whenever I wish." The creature snorted again and bared its razor-sharp fangs._

_"You are still weak. You are only able to control me with the jewel you hold. If it was not for that, you would be helpless. I would squish you." Naraku's grip tightened around the four pieces of the dimension materia._

_"It does not matter whether I use the sacred jewel shards or not, for you cannot squish me now."_

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_Sephiroth jumped aside to avoid the Bahuite's strike. He twirled in midair and cut the air with the Masumune, narrowly missing the Bahuite. It opened its mouth and used Light Sphere. A great ball of light formed in its mouth and engulfed Sephiroth. The white-haired man was thrown into the side of a mountain. Sephiroth was shocked. He hadn't expected the dragon's attacks to be _this_ powerful! Numerous cuts and burns covered Sephiroth's body. His right arm was sore and his left ankle had dislocated. Sephiroth closed his eyes._

_"Cure 3!" The cuts, burns, sores, and his dislocated ankle mended instantly. He leapt up and swung his long blade, which issued a powerful blast that got the Bahuite bleeding. It roared with pain. The Bahuite's tail glowed dangerously. It then struck out with Light Blow. It swung its tail, and the force of the blow shattered part of the mountain wall. Rocks came tumbling down as Sephiroth cured again, for the attack had broken his left arm. It mended and the white-haired man leapt off the rocks, speeding towards the great dragon. He held the Masumune in front of him like a sphere, and energy gathered at the tip of the blade. The beast opened its mouth and a great ball of light formed in it again. Sephiroth, however, wasn't going to let the Bahuite use Light Sphere again. Sephiroth had misjudged the timing, though. Just as he drove the Masumune into the beast's stomach, it let the ball of energy go. Sephiroth pulled out the Masumune and was blasted into the wall of fallen boulders. He felt his legs and right wrist break. A large gash had appeared in his side, but he was already healing. That was what was good about the mako in him. Sephiroth used cure 3 once again, and sprang up in time to escape injury from the Bahuite's swipe. This monster was no ordinary monster. It was powerful. _Very_ powerful. Sephiroth used fire 3 on the monster. It did little damage to the Bahuite's thick, armor-plated hide. Bolt 3 did nothing, and ice 3 only managed to slow it down for a few seconds. Sephiroth frowned, then used barrier and haste on himself. He also used slow on the dragon._

_The dragon slowed. It gnashed its teeth in frustration. Sephiroth had cast slow on it! Well, it didn't matter. The Bahuite caste haste twice on itself to even them up. They zipped through the air, exchanging blows. The beast used ice 3 on Sephiroth and managed to freeze him for a second. This gave it enough time to smash Sephiroth will Light Blow. Sephiroth crashed into the iced snow below, sustaining several severe injuries. He groaned and used full cure. The beast stared, exasperated. When was this going to end? It was rather hurt, and it had already gave Sephiroth serious injuries that he shouldn't have healed! But he did. He kept healing and getting back up. The dragon decided to use its last weapon. It would not kill the white-haired man, but it would end the battle. Sephiroth stood up, raising his sword over his head. The Masumune glinted in the sunlight. The monster looked at Sephiroth. It was time to use its final weapon. The Bahuite opened its mouth and let forth a rush of its Paralysis Fog just as Sephiroth raised his sword to strike._

Sephiroth remembered. He remembered how, at that very moment, he was defeated.

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I can hear you all groaning. Why did you have to give us great big paragraphs to read, sokymo! (my penname is iyoku-ishi, of course) Sephiroth and the Bahuite! Whooo, the tension. Lol…poor Sephiroth. Remember, the jewel is powerful. The Bahuite is powerful. The Bahuite + two jewel shards a Bahuite more powerful than Sephiroth. I hope this chapter answered a lot of the questions you guys might've had in mind (like, about the mysterious dragon that had the dimension materia, and about the materia itself). We're getting near! I finished writing chapter 14 last night (today's Jan. 04, 2006), I'm currently writing chapter 15, and this is chapter 11! Chapter 12 is next. Only 3 more chaps to go! Bet you guys can't wait. The next chapter is…Chapter 13 - The Gold Saucer.

Pretty obvious, huh? Lol. It's VERY long. Oh yes, and -- REVIEW.


	12. The Gold Saucer

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

Hmm, this chapter's coming along a bit quicker. The chapters are getting uploaded quicker now, huh? I bet you're all jumping with joy. I wish, lol. I would jump with joy if ROSEFLAME got FAITH AND FEATHER updated! And also, if some other stories that hadn't been updated for a LONG time got updated (also, some stories that are REALLY GOOD. I mean, REALLY). Get that story updated Roseflame! I've already replied the reviews, so yeah.

This chapter's REALLY long (_notice_ the _emphasis_). As I have said before. Sorry, I'm hyper now. I don't know why. Must be …er…the gloomy weather. Plug here: Go to my website, Forbidden Crescent! Well, go to my lookup for the link. It's an Inuyasha site that's half info and half graphics (though it has tons of graphics. I should really update the info too, and not just the graphics). BE SURE TO READ THE NOTES ON THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE AFTER YOU FINISH READING THE CHAPTER!

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Chapter 12 - The Gold Saucer

Kagome smiled and walked beside Inuyasha. She felt all fuzzy with happiness. Her life, currently, was wonderful. They had made some new friends, gone to the beach, and Inuyasha had said that he loved her! He loved her! Oh yes, and she could stay in the Feudal Era for a while. Kagome had remembered, shortly after they had arrived at Costa Del Sol, that it was summer vacation and her family had gone to America for two months. So, she could stay in the Feudal Era for two months. Kagome didn't even know if the well worked anyway, but that wouldn't be a problem for now. Her life was fabulous and they were going to a theme park too! Kagome giggled out loud. Inuyasha glanced at her.

"You all right Kagome?" Kagome grinned broadly.

"Yup!" Nothing could ruin her good mood. Well…except maybe one thing. Two clown-like creatures that were standing on spinning, spiky wheels flew towards them. Kagome's smile slipped off her face. Oh no. Just _something_ had to ruin her good day. Cloud pulled off his sword.

"Watch out! It's those things again, Death Dealers!" he yelled. One of the clowns threw a card and the spinning, spiky wheels double-slashed Tifa. Tifa jumped, but the wheels still gauged deeply into her leg. She groaned with pain.

"Cure!" she gasped, and the leg healed a little. Tifa stood up, a bit wobbly. Cloud gritted his teeth and dashed forward, slicing the Death Dealer's side. It spun away from him and threw a card at him. It turned over, and…

Tifa screamed. No! A joker! Cloud's eyes widened as he stared at the card. It disappeared, and a large skull apparition appeared over Cloud's head. A loud grinding sound was heard, and it vanished. Cloud groaned and brought his sword up…then dropped over, unconscious. Tifa ran over and knelt down. She started pounding Cloud's body.

"Cloud! Cloud! C-Cloud! W-why? Ph-phoenix down! We NEED A PHOENIX DOWN NOW!"

"Whoa, Tifa, calm down! Here," said Barret, and he emptied a bottle of sparkling, red powder over the almost-dead blonde. After a few seconds, Cloud stirred.

"Cloud!" Tifa shook him frantically. "Cloud! Cloud! CLOUD!" Cloud's eyes opened slowly. He blinked weakly.

"Whoa…Tifa…what?" Tifa wiped tears from her eyes.

"Oh Cloud, thank goodness! If we didn't have any phoenix downs, you could've…" Tifa trailed off. She sniffed, and helped Cloud sit up. She cast cure 2 on him. Cloud stretched, fully healed, then stood up. He held his sword and watched the others fight the Death Dealers.

"Thanks Tifa," Cloud said, turning to her and smiling. She smiled back. At that moment, Yuffie screamed. The creatures, somehow, had hit a jackpot. They were able to flip out two jokers each. The death-sentences were cast on Miroku, Cid, Sango, and Vincent. They all collapsed. Yuffie turned to Cloud.

"Cloud, phoenix downs, now!" she shrieked. Cloud did a quick scan through all the item inventories. He gritted his teeth.

"We only have two phoenix downs left!" he yelled. Yuffie got cut in the side. Cait Sith got whacked in the head, _hard_. Yuffie's eyes flashed. She started glowing red.

"Greased Lightning!" she yelled, and cut through one of the clowns with her shuriken. It vanished the way most monsters do when they die. Barret used Demi on the second clown. It teetered as poles of earth sprung up and hit it. Two phoenix downs appeared in Cloud's hand. Yuffie grabbed them and threw them randomly onto Miroku and Cid. They were revived, and blinked slowly as they sat up.

"What…happened?" Miroku asked wearily as he looked around. Cloud glared at Yuffie.

"We need two more phoenix downs!" Yuffie yelled frantically. Cloud continued to glare at her.

"Didn't you hear me!" he yelled at her. "I said that we only had two left!" Yuffie stopped dead, ashen-faced.

"…whoops." Cloud grunted furiously as he slashed the remaining clown. Cait Sith used Dice, and hit two fours. Eight enormous gashes appeared in the Death Dealer. It screamed, and vanished. Everyone gathered around Vincent and Sango. They cried out their names and shook them.

"We've got to get them to Corel!" Red yelled. Tifa nodded.

"Yeah. We have to hurry before they start glowing white!" Cloud huffed and heaved Vincent's body onto Kirara. Vincent's head lolled to one side and he lay there, like a rag doll. Inuyasha placed Sango next to Vincent. Miroku watched the almost-dead demon slayer, crying silently. He turned to the cat.

"Kirara," he said quietly. The demon cat nodded and took off as Miroku jumped onto her back, keeping the bodies from falling off. Kagome jumped onto her bicycle and rode as fast as possible, with Shippo sitting in the basket. Inuyasha hauled Tifa onto his back and ran, followed by everyone else. They reached Corel in five minutes. Tifa jumped off Inuyasha's back as they neared the town and landed gracefully on the ground, running. Cloud dashed into the town.

"Two phoenix downs please!" he gasped, throwing 200 gil down on the table. The man behind the table handed Cloud two bottles of sparkling, red powder. Cloud dumped the contents of the bottles onto Vincent and Sango, who had started glowing white. The light faded and both of them stirred. Tifa knelt beside Vincent.

"Cure 2!" Vincent's right eye twitched slightly, then both eyes opened. He blinked slowly.

"…Tifa?" She smiled at him, then helped him sit up as Cait Sith bounded over to Sango. He bent over her and did a few fancy (put not necessary) paw gestures.

"Cure 2!" Sango healed. She found herself staring at Miroku. He gave a relieved sigh. He then flung his arms around her. Sango stiffened.

"Oh, Sango! You're alright!" Sango patted his back awkwardly. Kagome knelt down beside her, looking pale.

"Sango! Are you okay? You had us so worried back there!" Sango smiled at her.

"I'm alright Kagome. Don't worry." She stood up, as did Vincent. Barret looked around the town nervously.

"Well, if everyone's alright, we'd betta get over there. Ya know, the gondola." Everyone nodded. Cloud bought ten more phoenix downs, then headed into the gondola that would take them to the Gold Saucer. Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Shippo stared in awe out the windows as the gondola took off. They gasped as they saw the fireworks and they had a glimpse of the attractions. The gondola landed and stopped. Yuffie bounded towards the entrance. She stopped two yards from it. She spoke.

"Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara…welcome to the Gold Saucer!"

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Tifa bit her lip in worry. She glanced at Inuyasha and his friends.

"We don't have any gold tickets for them!" she exclaimed. Cloud frowned.

"Well," said Cid, "since they're probably only gonna be in our fricken world for some time, we don't need no $!#& gold tickets." Cloud looked at the gil inventory.

"Yeah, that's true." He continued frowning. "But they still need _normal_ passes, and there are _five_ more people. Kirara won't count. I don't know if Shippo will count, though…" Everyone approached the lady that was standing in front of the entrance. The members of AVALANCHE showed her their gold tickets. "Um…" Cloud hesitated. "We need to buy one-time passes for them," he said, gesturing to Inuyasha and his friends. The lady looked at them.

"In that case, you need four. The cat won't count and the child can go for free. So, that'll be…" The woman counted out the tickets. "12,000 gil." Cloud grimaced. They only had 22, 597 gil now…the tickets would take a considerable chunk out of their savings. Leaving them with 10,597 gil, to be precise. Kagome noticed Cloud's grimace.

"We don't have to go you know…" she said to him. "I'm sure that Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo, and Kirara won't mind." Cloud smiled.

"Thanks Kagome, but we can't do that. If we're going, you and your friends are going." Kagome smiled back.

"Thanks, Cloud." Cloud turned around to find the woman talking to someone that had come out of the Gold Saucer. The man that was undoubtedly part of the staff looked up. He smiled at Cloud.

"I see that you don't want to spend another 12,000 gil?" Cloud nodded cautiously. The man grinned. "Well, there _are_ a few jobs you and your friends could do to earn a few passes. Just do the jobs today, and I'll even give you all free rooms to stay for the night. Then you all can enjoy the attractions we have tomorrow." Tifa looked curious.

"What kind of jobs?" The man looked at them all. His gaze settled upon Cait Sith.

"Well, for one, you can do your old job of greeting the customers and reading fortunes." Cait Sith nodded excitedly.

"Sure, I'll do it!" The woman that was holding the tickets gave one to Cait Sith, who passed it to Kagome. She thanked him. The man turned to Cloud and thought for a moment.

"You could battle in the Battle Square to entertain the other customers." Cloud blinked. Then he grinned.

"No problem." He also received a ticket, and handed it to Inuyasha.

"You," said the man, peering at Tifa, "can be the person that talks for today's special event in the Battle Square. You know, the one that Cloud will be participating in?" Tifa gaped at him.

"Me? Talk in front of an audience? I won't know what to say!" The woman that was holding the tickets smiled reassuringly.

"It's all right; you'll be wearing a special device that's disguised as an earring. We'll give you all your lines." Tifa gulped nervously.

"Well, I suppose I'll be okay…" She got her ticket and handed it to Miroku. He thanked her. The man looked at them all, frowning. They needed one more ticket, but the man couldn't think of any more jobs. The woman suddenly leaned towards the man and whispered something into his ear. The man smiled delightedly and stepped forward. He confronted Vincent, still smiling. Everyone else looked on curiously.

"Now," the man said happily. "We've got a use for _you_."

"For Vinnie?" Yuffie echoed. The man nodded. Vincent's eyebrows rose.

"_You_ can model for some of our posters today," the staff member said. Vincent stared at him. Yuffie, Tifa, and Kagome burst into fits of giggles. Sango blinked, not understanding their merriment.

"…model?" Vincent repeated, still staring. The man nodded. Vincent's face instantly darkened. "No." The man blinked, surprised.

"Why not?" Cait Sith asked curiously. Vincent glowered.

"I do not go for those kinds of things. They are…offensive."

"Aw, come on Vinnie! Sango needs a ticket," Yuffie urged. Vincent's eyes did not soften.

"I said no."

"Come on Vincent," Cloud tried. "I'm doing something. So is Tifa and Cait Sith." Vincent looked at him.

"…Inuyasha, Kagome, Miroku, and Sango are the ones that need the passes, yet we are the ones that are working to earn it?" Kagome shuffled her feet guiltily.

"Well, we owe you guys big time," she said. Red spoke.

"We'll help you all in any way we can. I mean, Barret, Cid, Yuffie, and I will help out." Cloud grinned as he replied to Kagome.

"Yeah, you guys'll owe us big time." Tifa nudged Vincent.

"Oh, come on Vincent. Will you please agree?" Vincent did not reply.

"I'll stop calling you Vinnie for two months," Yuffie offered.

"I'll stop calling ya vamp for two months," Cid said.

"I'll stop annoying you for two months," Cait Sith suggested.

"We'll treat you nicely," Tifa told him. "Please?" Vincent looked at their hopeful faces. He sighed inwardly. The deal _was_ pretty good.

"…alright," he agreed. He knew that he was going to regret it.

"Great!" The man grinned, and gave Sango a ticket. She thanked him and Vincent. "Please proceed this way."

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Tifa waited in the room nervously. She had the small device on her ear and a microphone in hand. Dio came into the room.

"You're up," he said, grinning. Cloud patted her on the back and told her not to be nervous. Tifa smiled at him, then stepped onto the platform that was in front of the enclosed battle area. She paled when she saw the audience. She didn't know that there would be this many people! A voice whispered into her ear from the device.

"Relax and stay calm. Step onto the middle of the platform and _smile_. Tifa managed to smile and did as she was told. The voice instructed her again. "Say: 'Hello everyone, and welcome to today's special event at the Battle Square! Instead of the usual sign up of battles today, we have a guest that will be battling a number of difficult monsters. Please welcome Cloud!' Then gesture towards Dio's trophy room." Tifa took a deep breath, then bellowed into the microphone.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to today's special event at the Battle Square! Instead of the usual sing up of battles today, we have a very special guest that will be battling a number of difficult monsters." Tifa grimaced inwardly. Whoops. She had added "very special" by accident. Never mind; she had to continue. "Please welcome Cloud!" Tifa gestured towards Dio's trophy room. Cloud emerged smiling, and waved a couple of times at the audience. The device whispered the next words to Tifa. She repeated them. "Cloud Strife, age 21, will be battling today! He is a good fighter that has lots of experience, and will be facing 15 battles, each with a number of monsters. The monsters start out easy, but turn hard, and Cloud will have to spin the handicap wheel every time he wins a battle. How long will he last? Will he reach the fifteenth stage and triumph? Or will he collapse on the second one? It's your bet, folks!" Everyone cheered.

"You're doing great so far," the voice from the device said. "Keep up the good work." It issued out a few more commands. Tifa continued.

"Now, Cloud will be facing his first monster. Cloud, greet the Kalm Fang!" Tifa stepped to the side and commented on Cloud's performance. Everyone watched the battle and whooped as Cloud killed the Kalm Fang in two minutes.

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There were many people in the modeling room. _Too_ many, for Vincent's liking. A woman fussed and brushed his hair. The make-up artist and the poster designer were engaged in a quick and anxious conversation.

"Should I make his face whiter?" the make-up artist asked.

"No, he's pale enough. Gods, I've never seen anyone with skin that pale. It's quite strange, actually. You might want to make it look as though he has a bit of blood smeared by his mouth, for a more dramatic effect."

"Right, good thinking! I'll do that in five minutes flat." The make-up artist put something moist to Vincent's mouth to add the effect of blood, then applied eye shadow to his eyes to make them look darker. Vincent could barely stop himself from shaking with disgust. His eye twitched. He _hated_ this. Vincent didn't like human contact very much, and here he was, getting _make-up_ put onto him. At last, they were done. Vincent was instructed to stand in front of a large, white backdrop. He noticed dozens of little holes in the ground. Someone handed Vincent a gun that was laced slightly with gore. The person also smeared some of the fake blood onto Vincent's hand. Then other people came and positioned him in the way they wanted. Vincent's eye twitched again. After ten minutes, the poster designer was satisfied.

"Alright. Turn off the normal lights and engage the special lights, special effects, and fan." Everyone did as they were told. Vincent's hair was blown by the fan and fake flames (although they looked realistic) surrounded Vincent. His cape fluttered from the wind the fan was making and the fake flames leapt around him. The photographer positioned the camera, then took a picture. He frowned. He took many more pictures, and Vincent had to stand stock-still for almost an hour before the photographer was satisfied. Vincent collapsed into a chair, and groaned slightly. If this continued for the rest of the day, he was _dead_.

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Everyone arrived in the hotel's sitting room after they had showered and eaten. Tifa sighed.

"I'm never, _ever_ being the person that talks to the audience again." Cloud grinned, looking tired. He had successfully won all 15 rounds of the Battle Square event.

"You were _good_, Tifa."

"Still! It's too tiring."

"Talk about tiring…Vinnie looks worn out," Yuffie observed. She blinked. "Whoops, sorry Vinnie - I mean, Vincent." She peered at Vincent. "What could be so tiring about posing for cameras?"

"Oh, it's _very_ tiring," Kagome said. "I've learned about the modeling career once, in a field trip. You have to stand in a certain pose for hours." Yuffie grimaced.

"How boring," she commented. Then she grinned. "Hey Vinn - Vincent, you still have some eye shadow on." She giggled. Vincent opened his eyes and glared at her. Yuffie stopped laughing. Normally, Vincent would look funny with make-up on, but the eye shadow just made him look more intimidating.

"…I am _never_ going to agree to anything like that again," he said quietly. "It is a much worse form of torture." He stood up. "I shall retire for the night." Vincent left. Cloud yawned.

"Yeah, all that battling's _really_ got to me. I think I'm gonna go to bed too." Miroku looked around.

"I suppose we should all get some sleep. We must rest for tomorrow." Everyone nodded, and headed up to bed.

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"WHOOHOOHOO!" Cloud awoke with a start and blindly grabbed the first thing he touched. He brought it up, blinking. He couldn't see anything because his eyes were adjusting to the bright sunlight in the room. In the meantime…

"Stop where you're standing! If you move, I'll hit you with this!" The intruder giggled, and someone else was heard laughing, though the person was trying to stifle it.

"What, with a pillow?" a very familiar voice asked. Cloud blinked again. He could see now, and the intruder was none other than Yuffie. Who was still giggling. Cloud saw Tifa standing in the doorway, behind Yuffie. She, too, was laughing. Cloud dropped the pillow.

"What the $#/ is it?" Barret grumbled, and looked up. "Oh. It's the brat and Teef." He promptly went back to sleep. Yuffie scowled at him. "Don't' go back to sleep, ya marshmallow! We've got tons and TONS of stuff to do today!"

"Like what?" Yuffie and Tifa spun around. Cid was leaning against the wall, grinning. Yuffie blinked.

"Um…well, there's having fun, uh…fun, and more fun! Then we have to go all over the Gold Saucer, playing till we drop dead and er…have fun!" Cid raised an eyebrow at Yuffie's so-very-logical explanation of "lots to do".

"Oh, so that's a lot, huh? Fun, fun, and Gold Saucer…which basically adds up to more fun." Yuffie blushed.

"Well…ya!" Tifa smiled. She turned around to see Cloud, tousle-haired and still staring at them stupidly. She shook her head. Cloud could really be dumb when he wakes up in the morning sometimes. Barret grumbled, annoyed.

"Well, you two had better get ready soon. Everyone else's probably downstairs," Tifa told the two. She dragged Yuffie out of the room and closed the door.

Cloud and Barret went downstairs after they had washed and dressed. Everyone else was eating breakfast. Tifa passed them plates of bacon and eggs. They thanked her and started gobbling the food viciously because the others were almost done. After the last plate had been cleared away by the "corpse" waiter, Red spoke.

"So…what are we doing today?" Everyone looked around at each other.

"Well…everyone can do whatever they want," Cloud said, shrugging.

"Great! I'll be at the Wonder Square," Tifa said cheerfully. She started to leave.

"Wait! Tifa, can I…erm…stick with you today? Cause I don't know anything about the Gold Saucer," Kagome asked. Tifa smiled.

"Sure!" Sango looked around nervously.

"Um…can anyone show me to the place where Cloud was battling yesterday? I would like to try some demons - I mean, monsters." Yuffie grinned at Sango and pulled her out the door.f

"I'll show ya! I'm going there myself! They have really cool…" The ninja's voice trailed off, out the hotel. Cloud shouldered his blade.

"Well, I'm going to the Chocobo Square. I think I might participate in some of the races…" Cid went after Cloud.

"Yeah, I'll be there and ride some. They've got some fricken good prizes." Barret followed them.

"There's nothing' better than bettin' on a few of those spiky-bird races…hey, spiky-ass, ya know that your head looks like one of those birds!" Miroku's eyes gleamed.

"Betting? Wait, I'm coming too!" Inuyasha stared. Vincent headed out the door, also going to the Battle Square. Inuyasha scowled.

"Well, I'm going to where Sango's going…that Battle place." He left. Red walked out the door.

"I'm going to the Wonder Square." Shippo, Kirara, and Cait Sith were left. They looked at each other.

"I know this really fun roller coaster ride!" Cait Sith offered. Shippo and Kirara nodded, then followed him.

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The receptionist blinked. There was quite a long lineup today. Yuffie grinned.

"HiyaI'dliketoregistertobattletoday!" she said, very fast. The receptionist stared.

"Um…I didn't quite catch what you were saying. Can you repeat it a little more slowly, please?" Yuffie nodded.

"Okay. I'd like to register to battle today. Meh name's Yuffie and I'm 16. I'd like the normal battle, please." The receptionist wrote Yuffie's name and age in her book.

"Ok Yuffie, you're up first. You understand the Battle Square rules, right?" Yuffie nodded, then headed into the fighting area. The lady looked up at Sango.

"Name and age please?" Sango blinked.

"Oh, um, Sango, and I'm 17." The receptionist recorded everything. "Do you know the Battle Square rules?" Sango nodded; Yuffie had explained it to her on the way here. The receptionist recorded Vincent's information, Inuyasha's information, and a few other people's information. Everyone watched as Yuffie pummeled monster after monster. At the end of her fifth win, she got "items broken" for the handicap spin. She won the next battle too, but then go "materia broken" on the handicap spin. She won the battle after that, but got unlucky. On the handicap spin, she landed on "mini". Yuffie paled as she shrunk.

"She's not gonna make it," someone said. A few other people agreed. They were right; Yuffie didn't make it. She came out of the battle arena, disappointed.

"Good fighting Yuffie!" Sango smiled at her. Yuffie grinned back.

"Yeah. Seven victories! Not bad, eh? Thanks!" The receptionist beckoned to Sango.

"Normal or special?" Sango blinked. She supposed that the "special" battle was harder, so…

"Normal please." The lady nodded and Sango entered the arena nervously. She immediately assaulted by a Nibel Wolf. Sango heaved her weapon and threw.

"HIRAKOSTU!" The wolf was knocked clean off its feet by the weapon. It only sustained a bruise, though. It ran at her, teeth bared. She sidestepped the creature and swung out with the boomerang again, but the wolf leapt aside. It tackled her as she brought her weapon up in defense. The Nibel Wolf snapped at her, it's long fangs inches from her face. Sango groped around for her katana (small sword). She swung it and lopped off the wolf's head. Outside the arena, Yuffie cheered heartily.

"Go Sango! Whooooo! That's the way to do it!" Vincent's face darkened as he looked at her in annoyance, for Yuffie was right beside him. She was practically yelling into his ear. Yuffie didn't notice his annoyance apparently, because she was still jumping up and down excitedly. She grinned as Sango got the "materia broken" handicap, for Sango didn't even _have_ materia. Sango defeated the next two monsters, and the monster after that. However…

"WHAT!" Sango yelped, staring at the handicap wheel. "Weapon broken?" she said incredulously. "How am I supposed to _fight_!" Yuffie winced.

"Aw, poor Sango," she said sadly. The receptionist looked at the demon slayer. She shrugged indifferently.

"Well, you _could_ give up and leave with the current amount of points that you've gained." Sango blinked.

"Oh. Okay then, I give up." She walked out of the battle area to Yuffie.

"Bad luck Sango," the ninja sighed. "Oh well. Ya did good!" She patted Sango on the back. Sango stumbled, but straightened and smiled.

"Thanks Yuffie." She looked around. "I wonder how Vincent will do…?" Vincent had applied for the normal battle and entered the arena. He defeated the first five monsters with apparent ease, slightly faster than Yuffie had. At the end of his sixth battle, his items were "broken". At the end of his seventh battle, his materia were "broken". However, he got lucky at the end of the eighth battle.

"Lucky 7!" Yuffie shrieked. "Not fair!" At the end of Vincent's ninth battle, the handicap wheel landed on "weapon broken". Sango blinked.

"Is he going to give up?" she asked Yuffie. The ninja merely grinned.

"Watch and learn Sango, watch and learn." As the huge, ugly beasts came at Vincent, his left arm came up, over their heads. He slashed one of the beasts, who died on the spot. He attacked the other one viciously and managed to kill it, but not before it left a long gash in his right arm. The handicap wheel landed on "mini".

"…mini," Vincent said tonelessly. He turned on the spot and proceeded to walk out of the arena. "I retreat." He walked past Yuffie, who grinned widely.

"Nice fightin' there Vinnie!" Vincent's only reply was,

"…my name is Vincent." Sango giggled at Yuffie's annoyed expression and turned to watch as Inuyasha started to battle.

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"Aww, it's SO CUTE!" Kagome exclaimed as she fed Mog nuts in the game, Mog House. Tifa smiled. Kagome giggled as one of the little mini-mogs tripped. Tifa stepped onto the 3D-Battling platform. She boxed her way through three of the challengers, but lost on the fourth one. Kagome examined the snowboarding machine.

"You should try that," Tifa told her. "It's fun." The martial artist got onto the motorcycle machine and pushed some gil into the money slot. The game started up. Kagome stepped onto the snowboarding machine. She twisted and pressed a button to jump, but accidentally crashed into an igloo.

"Whoops," she said, and tried again. At a point in the game, she leaned to the left and fell of the snowboard. "Ooomph," she uttered as she hit the ground. "Ow…" Red-faced, Kagome got up. Tifa was doubled over, laughing.

"Hahahahaha, Kagome, I can't believe you _fell off_!" She snorted with more laughter as Kagome glared at her.

"I suppose that _you_ never fall off?" Tifa stopped laughing and straightened up.

"No, I never do fall off," she said, smiling. Kagome sighed. Tifa patted her on the back. "Come on, let's go try that basketball thing…"

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Barret pounded the counter in excitement. The person behind it looked a little frightened.

"Go Cloud, go! You can beat 'em, spiky-ass!" Barret roared. Cid punched him, looking annoyed.

"Hey man, shut up! People are givin' us those friggin' weird stares." Barret calmed down, though he was still breathing heavily.

"If he doesn't make it…" he growled. Cid sighed and shook his head. He looked up at the television screen and his eyes widened.

"Man, he's winning! He's $#!ing well _winning_!" Barret looked up just in time to see Cloud pass the finish line.

"Yeah!" Barret yelled. He glared at the person behind the table.

"Um…yes?" The person quailed under Barret's glare.

"I won. Money. NOW." The person winced and handed Barret a sack of 500 gil. Cloud entered the room at that moment. "Yo man, good job! You earned me some sweet cash!" Barret pounded Cloud on the back (causing the blonde to loose his footing) and showed him the sack of gil. Cloud grinned.

"Nice." Ester came out of the room Cloud had exited.

"Cid Highwind, you're up next," she said. "You get chocobo C." Cid nodded and headed into the room where the chocobos were. Ester turned to Cloud. "Would you like items or GP?" Cloud thought for a moment. He could buy items any time, but he only had 40 GP. That wasn't a lot. And he just spent 5 GP to enter the race.

"Um…I'll take the GP." Ester nodded and rummaged in her bag for the GP sack. She found it and counted out the GP.

"Okay, so since you rode in the A-rank chocobo race, long course, you get 50 GP. If you ever ride in another A-rank chocobo race, long course, you may get more." Ester handed Cloud 50 GP. He grinned again.

"Thanks!" Just then, the B-rank, long course race started. Cloud spotted Cid riding a blue chocobo, through a door. He walked through it and emerged onto a platform raised above the racetrack. "Go Cid!" Cloud yelled, leaning over the railing. Cid gave him a thumbs-up to show that he heard, then urged his chocobo on.

"Come on bird, win this race and I'll get ya some friggin' vodka!" Cloud heard Cid yelling at his chocobo. Then all the racers disappeared around the bend in the racecourse. The blonde stared. Whoever would feed a chocobo _vodka_? Was Cid crazy? The poor bird!

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Yuffie walked out of the Speed Square. She looked at a nearby clock. Wow! It was already 7 pm! The day had gone by so fast. After a few more battles at the Battle Square, Yuffie had gone to the chocobo races. She ate lunch. Then she went to the Wonder Square. After that, she went to the Speed Square to ride the roller coaster. And now it was time to go eat dinner! Just then, Cloud emerged from the battle square. Yuffie waved.

"Hey, Cloud!" Cloud looked up. He saw Yuffie and grinned.

"Hi Yuffie!" He walked over to her. "Did you have fun today?" Yuffie nodded.

"Yup! I got GP, gil, and prizes! There's nothing more cool than prizes! Well…maybe materia." Cloud nodded in agreement. They walked towards the entrance to the Ghost Hotel, but…

"Oh! Hey! You two!" A man had emerged from the Event Square and walked over to them. "There's a special show today! Come and see it!" He started to push Yuffie and Cloud towards the entrance to the Even Square.

"Wha-?" said Yuffie, blinking and staring at the man.

"H-hey!" Cloud protested, though the man seemed not to have heard him. They entered the Event Square, which was filled with people. A woman spotted them.

"Congratulations! You two are our 100th couple! You two will be participating in the play today! Don't worry about your lines; just go along with the play and the cast will cover you up." Yuffie gaped at her.

"What? But we're not a c-"

"Hurry, the costumes are in the back," the woman interjected. Cloud sighed. The last time he had been in this, Aeris had been the princess. The play reminded him of Aeris, and he grew sad just thinking about her. The woman looked at him. "Hmm…your clothes will do just fine, so you don't have to change." The play started. The narrator spoke.

"Long, long ago... An evil shadow appeared over the peaceful kingdom of Galdia... Princess Rosa was just kidnapped by the Evil Dragon King, Valvados. What will become of her? Just then, the legendary hero, Alfred, appears!"

"It's your cue! Go!" the woman whispered as she pushed Cloud onto the stage. A knight danced over to him.

"Oh... You must be the legendary hero... Alfred!" Cloud blinked. Uh…what was he supposed to say again? The blonde looked around for a clue.

"Hey, it's your line," the knight whispered. Cloud pointed at himself.

"Yeah, you. Ahem!" The knight stood up and started rolling his head. "Oh... You must be the legendary hero... Alfred! I know in my soul. Please... please save Princess Rosa!" He knelt down and raised his arms. "Now... Please talk...to the King...!" The King danced onto the stage. Cloud stared. He was supposed to talk to the King, right? He ran over to him. The King spoke.

"Oh... legendary hero, Alfred. You have come to save my beloved Rosa... On the peak of a dangerous mountain... dwells the Evil Dragon King, Valvados... who's kidnapped Princess Rosa... But... you can't beat the Evil Dragon King now! Talk to one who can help you…" A mage danced out onto the stage. Cloud blinked again. He ran over to the knight.

"I am... a lowly... knight. How... can I help you?" the knight asked, looking up at Cloud.

"Uh…defeat the Evil Dragon King?" The narrator spoke again.

"Oh what is going to happen next...! Oh... Legendary hero... look!" A giant, stuffed dragon appeared, clutching Yuffie, who was in a princess dress. She looked bored.

"Gaaaaaaah! I am the Evil Dragon King... Valvados! I have not harmed the Princess... I have been expecting... you!" Yuffie stared at the floor. She made snoring noises. The Evil Dragon King spoke again. "Gaaaaaah! Here I come, Legendary hero... Alfred! I already know... your

name!" Cloud looked at the knight. The knight nodded, then ran at the big, stuffed dragon, but bounced off his stomach. Yuffie looked down at the knight.

"Well, you're pretty weak." A couple of the people in the audience sniggered. The Evil Dragon King cackled.

"Gaaaaaaah! You cannot defeat me! What now, Legendary Hero?" Cloud walked up to the mage. The mage spoke.

"What do you wish to know?" Cloud was rather sorely tempted to mess up the play by asking what the princess' dress-size was, but didn't.

"What is the Evil Dragon King's greatest weakness?" The mage raised his arms.

"The true power of love!" he said dramatically. Yuffie did an impression of throwing up. She stuck out her tongue, pretending to puke.

"So what, is the knight gonna confess his love or something?" The fallen knight raised his head from his position on the ground, pretending to be weak.

"I would not…even dare _dream_ of…loving the princess! I am but a…lowly knight."

"Yeah, you said that," Yuffie said, rolling her eyes. The audience laughed. Suddenly, the mage said,

"A kiss!" The knight got up.

"A kiss!" he echoed. The king joined in.

"A kiss!" Cloud goggled at them. He pointed at himself again.

"Me? Kiss the princess?" All three nodded.

"EW!" Yuffie shrieked. "I'm not randomly kissing Hero Elfhead, or whatever his name is. This has gone on long enough!" Yuffie wiggled out of EDK's grip. She turned to him. "Goodbye, EDK!" Yuffie stuck out a leg and kicked the Evil Dragon King in the stomach.

"Whaaaaaa!" EDK slid and vanished behind the curtains. Everyone (audience included) blinked. Then the audience erupted into raucous laughter. The narrator spoke.

"My my, what an unusually strong princess we have here! But, the kingdom is saved and so the legendary hero Alfred and our story live on happily ever after." Cloud, the King, the knight, and the mage twirled off the stage. Yuffie was left standing in the middle. She blinked.

"What…? Hey!" She ran off the stage, after the other actors. The curtain closed. The audience applauded.

Behind the stage, Yuffie quickly took off the princess dress (she had her normal clothes underneath). She turned to Cloud and started pushing him out of the Event Square. He stared.

"Hurry, before they yell at us for messing up the play!" Yuffie hissed. Cloud understood, and the two of them dashed out of the Event Square. They went to the Ghost Hotel. When they entered, they found Sango, Miroku, Inuyasha, Shippo, Kirara, Barret, Cid, Vincent, Red, and Cait Sith waiting for them. Cloud blinked.

"Hey, where's Tifa and Ka-" The door burst open. Tifa and Kagome came in. Both were smiling in a weird way.

"Nice going back there Yuffie," Tifa said to the ninja, grinning. Yuffie paled. She backed away from them slowly.

"Y-you guys were watching!" Tifa nodded. Kagome giggled.

"What, you don't want Cloud to kiss you?" she asked innocently. Cloud and Yuffie instantly turned red.

"Wh-what?" they stuttered. Everyone else looked confused.

"N-never mind," Cloud said hastily. Yuffie shot Kagome a death-glare.

"Let's eat and get some fricken shut-eye," Cid mumbled, yawning. "It's been a helleva long day." Everyone nodded. Inuyasha grinned. Finally! They could continue finding jewel shards and hunting Naraku tomorrow.

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If you guys wanna see some posters featuring Vincent (like in this chapter), I've made two. You guys can go to my profile for the links and stuff. Mind though, I made the posters (they're not Squaresoft images), so only the image of Vincent is copyrighted to Squaresoft. The whole graphic poster is copyrighted to me. Haha, if you guys ever tried to actually mess up the play in the Event Square (with Aeris and Cloud), it's really funny. Aeris gets mad at Cloud and kicks the Evil Dragon King so that he slides behind the curtain. The date still goes on though, so there's no chance of messing that up. She's the same as usual when they go to the Gondola. Also, you can't actually race one of the default chocobos in the Chocobo Square; you still have to ride your own. I just made it like that in this fanfiction. I will be changing a few things like that, and I won't always mention the changes. If you guys see anything that's not actually like that in the game, it's probably me changing it (since I consult a detailed walkthrough to make sure that my details are right). Poor Vincent…I make him suffer so. Oh well, Sango _did_ need that ticket and I didn't want Cloud and co to go broke. And of course, Yuffie forgot about the deal about not calling Vincent "Vinnie". Surprisingly, Vincent forgot too. The next chapter: Chapter 13 - Obsession and Bandits of the Village. Tune in! And REVIEW. 


	13. Obsession and Bandits of the Village

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover and the bandits belong to me. Blah blah blah…

Hey, good news! Roseflame updated Faith and Feather! Well, she updated it like, at the end of December, but I didn't get a notice from bot at saying that she updated (cause I got one for chapter 37), so I thought she didn't. But she did! Yay! Of course, 37 reviews is pretty good for someone who only has like 13 chapters up, but I still wish I would get more reviews from different people. Of course, don't slack off reviewing, my constant reviewers (I will acknowledge them here: Charan-Amaya, Kiome-Yasha, and VincentValentine13)! Last chapter _was_ really long. I didn't know that it was _that_ long. Sixteen pages or Microsoft Works Word Processor, at Times New Roman, 11 point, people!

I've planned most of what each chapter would probably be on, and yesterday, I counted how many chapters this story might have. I'm guessing at least 38! Maybe more. Depends on how many reviewers I get and if the writer's block doesn't target me a lot.

Oh, and I might not update as often for this period of time because I have my first semester finals coming up next week. That, and changing the layout of my website.

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Chapter 13 - Obsession and Bandits of the Village

"After all that fun, I'm glad we're back to hunting jewel shards again," Kagome said cheerfully. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her, but said nothing. Cloud rummaged in his item inventory and took out the Yoshiyuki. He replaced the Force Stealer with it.

"I've grown tired of the Force Stealer," he said, at everyone's look. "It's kinda old now, anyway."

"Finally," Inuyasha muttered. "No more weird, glowing, purple swords." Fortunately, Cloud didn't hear this. Cait Sith perked up.

"Yeah, I'm gonna use the Trumpet Shell from now on!" He replaced the Black M-phone with the Trumpet Shell. Kagome suddenly tensed.

"I sense two jewel shards…coming at us fast!" Everyone else got into their battle positions, except Inuyasha. He merely scowled.

"Koga," Inuyasha grumbled. A tornado approached them. It suddenly disappeared. In its place stood a young man. He wore black armor over a few brown-furred garments, and he also wore a mini-skirt. His hair was tied back in a pony tail and he had a brown wolf tail. His eyes were quite green. The man instantly grabbed Kagome's hands.

"Kagome! I'm so glad to see you. Have you missed me?" Kagome smiled nervously and sweat-dropped.

"Hi Koga," she said. The members of AVALANCHE stared. Inuyasha growled. He stepped between Kagome and Koga.

"Get your filthy hands off her, wolf!" he snarled. Koga snarled right back.

"Shut up, mutt! Kagome loves _me_, not _you_!" Inuyasha scoffed.

"You're wrong about that." Koga blinked.

"How come?" Inuyasha smirked. He turned and faced Kagome.

"I think you'd better tell him, Kagome." Kagome looked confused for a moment, but realization soon dawned on her face.

"Um…" She stepped forward nervously. "I'm sorry Koga, but…well, I love Inuyasha." Koga stared at her disbelievingly.

"W-what..?" Kagome sighed. She looked Koga straight in the eye.

"I'm sorry Koga, and I hope that you understand. I love Inuyasha." Koga gaped at her. His mouth opened and closed as he tried to speak.

"You…you love that mutt!" Kagome frowned at him.

"Yes, I love Inuyasha, and please don't call him a mutt." A strange kind of stillness overcame Koga, and he looked away.

"I…I understand. Hope you're happy with the m- I mean, with…Inuyasha." He turned away. "Come on guys," he muttered to Ginta and Hakkaku. "Let's go." They stared at him. Kagome looked up.

"Wait! Koga! Don't leave. We can still be friends, right?" Koga turned around. He glanced at Inuyasha. The hanyo said nothing. Koga slowly smiled.

"Yeah. Thanks, Kagome." Kagome smiled back at him.

"Hey!" Inuyasha said suddenly. "I'm going to be taking those jewel shards from your legs, Koga." Koga spun around.

"What!" he yelped. "In your dreams, mutt!"

"Koga!" Kagome said reproachfully. Koga scowled.

"Fine. I meant _Inuyasha_. But I'm still not giving them up!" Inuyasha growled.

"You _know_ we're collecting all the jewel shards. You're gonna have to give them over one day, and even Kagome'll agree, so we can make that day today!" Koga's scowl deepened. He balled his fists.

"Make me." Inuyasha's hand started to got to the Tessaiga.

"Inuyasha! Don't fight you guys, please!" Kagome pleaded. Inuyasha looked at her angrily.

"Well, what do you want me to do, Kagome?" he snapped. "The wolf won't hand them over!" Kagome looked at Koga. She bit her lip.

"Koga…" Koga interrupted her before she could say anything else.

"Don't try to persuade me to give them up, Kagome. It's not gonna work." AVALANCHE stared at them. Cloud stepped forward.

"Well, if Inuyasha can't fight him, I can." This time, everyone turned to stare at him. The blonde smiled. "Eh, well, I don't have a grudge on Koga. In fact, I barely know him, so I'm not gonna kill him or something." Kagome frowned.

"But-" Cloud interrupted her.

"You can't stop us from fighting, Kagome. We're just have a…uh…challenging competition. You know, whoever wins gets to keep the jewel shards. By the way, I'm Cloud," he said to Koga. Koga blinked. Cloud introduced the others.

"Well, what am I gonna get if I win?" Koga asked, frowning slightly. Cloud blinked.

"Uh…er…" Koga spotted a red ring Cloud had on his finger.

"I'll have that," he said, pointing at the ring. Cloud was taken aback.

"What! My Fire Ring?" Koga nodded.

"Does it have any special abilities?" he asked. Cloud glanced at it.

"Yeah. It drains fire attacks." Koga whistled.

"Well, I'm definitely taking that as a prize."

"Wait!" Kagome ran to Cloud. "You can't use materia, Cloud. It wouldn't be fair. Koga can't cast magic." Koga looked sharply at Cloud.

"You can cast magic?" Cloud nodded. He looked at his materia.

"But Koga has two jewel shards!" he protested.

"So?" Koga cut in. "You'll only get my jewel shards if you can beat me with the jewel shards in my legs." Cloud sighed.

"Fine." He reached for his sword.

"Wait! One more thing!" Everyone looked at Kagome.

"What?" asked Cloud, looking annoyed.

"No weapons. Hand-to-hand fighting only."

"WHAT!" Kagome smiled nervously.

"Sorry, but you guys will have a smaller chance of getting seriously hurt." Cloud gaped at her.

"He has claws!"

"Well…" Kagome looked at him. "You have muscles." Yuffie and Tifa giggled at this. "What? He does," Kagome said defensively. "More than Koga, anyway. And no items!" Cloud stared at her exasperatedly, then turned to Tifa.

"You fight. You're better at hand-to-hand fighting." Tifa blinked.

"But…I'm not fast enough," she said nervously. Koga sighed. Loudly.

"Don't tell me you're all weaklings! Hurry up and fight so that I can win and get my prize."

"You're not winning!" Inuyasha growled. Cloud and Tifa looked at each other. Only two members in the group were fast enough to keep up with Koga, and were pretty much evenly matched. Cloud turned to Red and Vincent.

"One you guys has to fight him," he said. "Only you two are fast enough to keep up with Koga and his jewel shards." Koga glanced at Red.

"You're distantly related to wolves, aren't you?" Red nodded. Koga crossed his arms defiantly. "Well, I'm not fighting my own kin." So that left Vincent.

"…I am to fight for these jewel shards," Vincent slowly stated.

"Yeah," Cloud said, although Vincent didn't ask a question. Vincent groaned inwardly.

"…none of you can keep up with him?" Everyone shook their heads, except for Red. Vincent sighed. Great. So the fighting was up to him again. First Sesshomaru, now this. Did he look like a fighting tool or something? "Fine," Vincent said, a little annoyed. Tifa smiled.

"Great! Good luck Vincent!" Yuffie grinned.

"Go Vinnie!" she cheered. Inuyasha scowled at Vincent.

"If you loose to the wolf, I'm never gonna forgive you." Vincent said nothing. Koga look him up and down.

"Hm…I thought you guys were all human? Except for Cait Sith and Red. Well, you're obviously not. Humans don't have red eyes, unless they're possessed by a demonic aura."

"No he's-" Yuffie began, but stopped. If everyone was going to think that way, there would really be no point in correcting them all the time. Vincent didn't seem to care much, anyway. "Never mind." Vincent and Koga faced each other. Koga tensed. Vincent felt his eye twitching in annoyance. Everyone held their breath.

"Go!" Miroku shouted. Koga sprung forward and immediately dealt a punch, but Vincent dodged it. He swiped out with his left claw. Koga twirled and kicked Vincent in the side. Vincent back flipped. He started running in a circle, so fast that only his cape was visible, swirling quickly through the air. Koga turned and ran at the cape, but it vanished to another spot before Koga was even two feet from it. Koga tried to attack, but merely punched thin air.

"How can he be faster than me!" Koga growled. Vincent suddenly appeared behind Koga and slashed his back. Long gashes appeared in Koga's back, and the wolf demon gritted his teeth in pain. Kagome gasped.

"Koga, be careful!" she cried.

"Hey, are you on our side or his side!" Inuyasha demanded. Kagome ignored him. Koga knelt, pretending to be critically hurt. Vincent swiped out with his claw again, but Koga twisted around it and kicked Vincent hard in the stomach. He slid backward, doubled over. Koga took this moment to attack Vincent again. Vincent was slashed across his right shoulder. The sniper began running again. He leapt and punched Koga in the side of his head with his right arm. He then kicked the wolf demon's left leg, right in the knee joint. It was pretty painful for the wolf demon, seeing as Vincent was wearing sharp, steel-toed boots. In fact, the blow had gouged a hole in the back of Koga's leg. It buckled and Koga collapsed. Vincent stood beside the injured wolf demon. His shadow loomed over the wounded person. Koga glared at Vincent.

"I…won't…loose…this…" He broke off and slumped to the ground.

"KOGA!" Kagome cried, and ran over to him. Everyone else followed. Kagome knelt down and lifted Koga's head into her lap. "I said not to fight so seriously!" she yelled. "Look at yourself Koga!" The schoolgirl turned to glare at Vincent. "Why did you hurt him so badly!" Vincent stared off into the trees in the distance.

"…fighting is fighting. There is no hurting someone lightly. If they will not back down, you continue hurting them, or else you will loose the battle." Koga lifted his head to look at Kagome. He smiled ruefully.

"I guess I lost, huh?" he said weakly. He sat up slowly.

"Yeah," Kagome replied, looking at him worriedly. "Koga…" Koga looked at his legs…then suddenly cut them. A spurt of blood was splattered over the ground. "Koga, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Kagome shrieked. Koga handed her the shards that had been embedded in his legs.

"There you go," he said tiredly. Kagome frowned.

"You hurt yourself even more! Oh, Koga!"

"That's okay," Tifa said, butting in. "Here…cure 2!" The healing lights settled gently around Koga's wounds and they mended. Koga stared in shock.

"…that was magic, wasn't it?" he asked disbelievingly. Tifa smiled and nodded. "Wow…well, thanks."

"No problem," Tifa said cheerfully. Koga and Kagome stood up. The latter offered the jewel shards in her hand to Vincent.

"Here. You deserve these." Vincent turned away.

"…give them to Cloud." Kagome nodded and gave the jewel shards to Cloud. He grinned and put them into his pocket.

"Thanks." Vincent healed himself. Koga sighed.

"I can't believe I lost…" he groaned.

"Yeah," Ginta and Hakkaku agreed. Koga cast them an annoyed look. They backed away.

"Well, look on the bright side," Ginta said nervously. "At least we can keep up with you now." Koga flared up.

"That's a bright side!" he growled. The two followers cowered. Koga turned to Inuyasha. "Hey m-Inuyasha."

"What?" Inuyasha snapped. Koga scowled.

"Have you picked up any trace of Naraku's scent?" Inuyasha shook his head.

"No. There hasn't been any trace of that bastard!" Koga's scowl deepened.

"Damn! How are we supposed to find him without a lead? No scent, no demonic aura, nothing!" Cloud and the others looked at each other.

"Who's this Naraku you guys talk about so much?" Cloud asked, choosing his words carefully. "You all seem to hate him."

"We do," Inuyasha snarled. "He's a bastard!"

"He's done a lot of terrible things to all of us," Kagome told them.

"He cursed me with the Wind Tunnel," Miroku said.

"He killed my family, then brought my brother back from the dead and is currently controlling him," Sango added sadly.

"He's…um…bad," Shippo said lamely. Cait Sith looked at Kagome.

"What's he done to you?" he asked curiously. Kagome frowned.

"He's hurt Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku. By that, he's hurt my friends. He's also tried to kill all of us." Red had a serious look on his face.

"What has he done to Inuyasha?" he asked quietly. Inuyasha turned away.

"Naraku," Kagome began, glancing at the hanyo, "hurt him badly…by tricking someone Inuyasha loved before into thinking that he betrayed her…" Tifa's eyes widened slightly.

"How horrible…" Kagome nodded. Inuyasha was apparently annoyed by the conversation.

"Hey! We're supposed to be trying to find Naraku!" he grumbled.

"Actually, I thought that we were supposed to be collected jewel shards," Barret pointed out. Inuyasha snorted.

"Naraku has like ¾ths of the jewel, so if we hunt down Naraku, it's basically hunting down the jewel shards." Koga looked off into the distance.

"Just wait, Kagura. Once I get you, you're dead." The members of AVALANCHE looked at Koga in surprise. He had a grudge against Kagura!

"Why-" Yuffie began, but Vincent sensed her question and quickly cut her off.

"Who is Kagura?" Kagome glanced at Koga before replying.

"She's one of Naraku's incarnations." Cloud looked a little surprised.

"Incarnation? So she's not his servant?" Kagome paused for a moment.

"Well…I suppose she serves Naraku, because she follows his orders, but she doesn't seem to like him very much." Koga gritted his teeth.

"I don't care whether that wench likes him or not; I'm killing her. She killed all my comrades! That witch is going to pay for what she did!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, just don't touch Naraku. I'm gonna be the one that kills him!" Sango smiled apologetically at Cloud and his friends, who looked uncertain.

"Sorry to get you involved in our personal affairs." Cid waved a hand airily.

"We're friends, and we're all in this together, so don't go friggin' personal on us."

"Yeah!" Cait Sith chimed in. "You can count on us! We'll help you guys!" His eyes widened as he realized what he just said. Thankfully, no one else noticed his reaction.

"Thank you, you guys," Kagome said, smiling at them. Miroku nodded.

"We appreciate your help very much." Sango also nodded to show her thanks.

"Huh," Inuyasha mumbled. "Just make sure that you guys don't try to kill Naraku. He's all mine!" Yuffie grinned.

"If you're so obsessed with him Inuyasha, why didn't you tell us earlier?" Everyone else went into bouts of laughter as Inuyasha blinked, confused.

"Wha-?" Kagome emerged from a giggling fit.

"Yeah, why don't you propose to him, Inuyasha? I'm sure that Kagura'd be delighted to have you as a brother-in-law." Inuyasha's eyes widened as he backed away slowly, looking absolutely horrified.

"Wh-what? Y-you're all sick! You've g-got it wrong!" Everybody stopped snickering. Yuffie smirked.

"It was only a joke, Inuyasha," she drawled. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed at her.

"…sickos," he muttered.

"Koga," Ginta said suddenly. Koga glanced at him.

"What?" Ginta frowned slightly.

"How are you going to beat Kagura once you find her if you don't have any jewel shards?" Koga's eyes widened a little, then he raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by how I'm gonna beat her? I'm still pretty quick and strong _without_ the jewel shards. Did you seriously think that I became leader just cause of the shards?" Ginta blinked.

"Um…well…" Koga scowled.

"I could kick your butt right now if I want to! Want me to prove it?"

"Wh-wha?" Ginta looked terrified. "N-no!" Koga spun around to face Hakkaku.

"Do _you_ want me to prove it?" Hakkaku raised his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, I didn't say anything." Suddenly, a faint scream echoed in the distance.

"What was that?" Kagome gasped. Cloud turned sharply towards the valley.

"It sounded like a woman screaming!" Red faced the same direction.

"It came from down there," he said, nodding towards the valley. Everyone raced down the valley and up a hill. They stopped on the top of the hill.

"…I never knew there was a village so close to the Gold Saucer," Yuffie said, gaping. Barret snorted.

"Well, it obviously popped up cause of the worlds crashin' and stuff." The same scream sounded out again, but was quickly cut off.

"It's definitely coming from the village. Someone's in trouble," Inuyasha said grimly, and ran down the hill towards the village. Everyone else followed. They all arrived at the village, horrified at the scene in front of them. All the village's women were gathered in the center of the village. All the men were dead, as were the children. Seven bandits were scattered over the place, picking up items they thought were valuable. Three bandits were standing in a circle around the women to make sure that they wouldn't escape. One of the bandits spotted the group staring. He grinned.

"Well well, what do we have here?" He straightened and looked around, to the other bandits. "Hey guys, we have more company!" All of the bandits stopped what they were doing and looked up. They grinned. The helpless, terrified women looked hopeful. Maybe these people would save them!

"Please, help us!" one called out desperately. She was kicked by a bandit.

"Shut up!" Tifa's eyes swept over the village and landed on the body of a small boy. She went over to it and knelt down, staring at the little boy's face.

"What did you people _do_!" she asked, horrified. Kagome bent over the pitiful body of a little girl who looked like she was no more than five years old.

"You…you _killed_ innocent children!" she cried, tears glistening in her eyes. The man nearest to her rolled his eyes.

"So? We only wanted loot and the women. The kids were useless." Cid glared at them. His cigarette fell to the ground as he brandished his spear.

"They're &!#&ing children!" he roared. "YOU KILLED FRICKEN INNOCENT _CHILDREN_!" The bandit shrugged.

"As I said, they're useless and worthless." Yuffie's eyes darkened and she gripped her shuriken tightly, staring hard at the man in front of them.

"You're going to pay for what you did." Her voice was uncharacteristically harsh. The bandit smiled.

"Now now, you're such a pretty girl…I wouldn't want to hurt you."

"Like you could!" Yuffie shouted, and threw her shuriken. It cut the man in half. The other bandits took out their weapons as Cloud and the others got into their fighting stances. Koga kicked one in the side as Tifa punched the bandit in the head. She continued kicking and punching him. Therefore, beating the crap out of him.

"How-could-you-kill-all-those-poor-innocent-children!" she cried. The man choked. "They-did-nothing-to-deserve-that-you-creep!" Cloud stabbed another man in the heart as the man tried to hurt him with his katana.

"You're all SICK!" Yuffie screamed as she sliced another bandit and killed him. Cid continually jabbed yet another man with the sharp end of his spear.

"Yuffie's $#!ing _right_!" he yelled. Barret knocked a bandit unconscious with his gun arm. He continued hitting the man while cursing and roaring. Sango slammed the Hirakotsu into someone else, furious. Miroku whopped another man with his staff, shouting things about vileness and cruelty. Cait Sith helped him by cuffing the abused bandit badly around the neck. After everyone's temporary madness, there were two bandits left. They knelt, pleading.

"Please, please, spare us!" they cried. One of the men was badly bruised from Miroku and Cait Sith's beating. Inuyasha had raised the Tessaiga, but hesitated. "Please!" they continued. "Please, don't kill us! We'll never hurt anyone again! We'll do whatever you all ask, just _please_, spare our lives!" Cloud glared at them for a moment, then exchanged looks with the others. He looked back at the bandits.

"Fine. Although you two don't deserve to live, we'll spare your lives just this once. However, if we ever catch you doing something bad again, we'll kill you. Now get up and start running." The bandits obeyed quickly. They sprang up on their feet and ran as fast as their legs would carry them. As everyone watched hem run, Vincent suddenly stepped out. He raised his gun and honed in on the first bandit. Vincent pulled the trigger. The dead bandit's friend stared in horror as Vincent pointed the Sniper CR at him and shot him. The man dropped the floor, dead. Vincent tucked his gun back into his belt.

"Vincent!" Cloud yelled, shocked. "We said that we'd let them go! Why did you kill them!" The others' expressions were all similar to Cloud's.

"…" Vincent said nothing. Kagome stared at him, as did the rest.

"They were begging for their lives Vincent!" she cried. "How could you-?"

"They killed innocent people. It is obvious what they were going to do to the women. If we had let them go, they would still continue the madness they were doing, regardless of our orders."

"But they're hu-"

"It does not matter if they are humans. Humans are not pure. Many are tainted with the sins demons would do. They do not deserve special treatment just because they are humans. When did being human ever make you special?" Inuyasha glanced at Vincent. He sheathed the Tessaiga.

"He's right. If we had let the bastards go, other innocent people would've suffered." Kagome's lip trembled slightly. Koga noticed this and stepped forward, looking furious.

"How can you just kill two humans like that! We said that we'd let them go! They only _have_ one life!" Sango glanced at him.

"Didn't you use to kill humans before you met Kagome?" she asked.

"Well, I needed to eat."

"But you killed whole villages. You don't have that much of an appetite, do you?" Koga scowled. He looked like he was biting back an angry retort.

"Whatever," he growled. Kagome bit her lip. Vincent was right about the human thing…

The human women of the village were still sitting in a circle, looking relieved but terrified at the scene before them. Everyone paid them no notice.

"Uh…uh…uh-uh thank you!" one called out. Tifa smiled.

"You're welcome. Now, get yourselves a place to stay before it's really dark."

"You know, we'd better stop for the evening," Miroku suddenly said, breaking the silence. "It is getting darker." Everyone nodded, then left the village and entered another forest. They all settled down and started a fire.

"There are so many damned forests now," Barret grumbled. "You can't blink without seeing one."

"Yeah, there are lots of forests in the world Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Shippo, Kirara, Koga, Hakkaku, Ginta, and I come from," Kagome said. Tifa gazed at her.

"Say, Kagome…" Tifa paused. Kagome blinked.

"Yes?" Tifa hesitated for a moment, but continued on.

"Well…you don't come from the same time as Inuyasha and the others do, don't you?" Kagome started, surprised.

"Why…no, I don't. But…how can you tell?"

"It's pretty obvious," Yuffie butted in. "For one, your clothes are more modern. Inuyasha, Sango, and Miroku's clothes are all 'traditional-y'." Kagome nodded.

"Yeah…" Yuffie continued on.

"And there's the fact that the others seem astounded by modern technology, but you're just like 'yeah'." Kagome nodded again. "Also, you're a schoolgirl. If I can tell…well, I'm pretty sure that the Feudal Era of wherever you come from doesn't have high schools." Kagome's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." Cid looked at Yuffie, an eyebrow raised.

"Well, you're bein' pretty damned observant, brat." Yuffie smiled widely.

"Shows what ya know 'bout me, old man," she replied cheekily.

"Hey, um…can you guys leave for a moment? We'd like to discuss some things," Inuyasha said, rather rudely (although he didn't know it). Cloud blinked.

"Uh…sure. Come on guys," he said, and AVALANCHE walked to someplace else. Inuyasha, Sango, Miroku, Kagome, Shippo, Koga, Hakkaku, and Ginta looked at each other.

"Ya know, I've heard that there's been some sorta world crashing or something," Koga said. "What's happened? Why are Cloud and co traveling with you guys?" Hakkaku and Ginta nodded along furiously.

"Well, there's this rumor going around that something that enabled people or monsters to world-travel, something that came from Cloud's world, was broken in our world, and that's what caused the two worlds to combine," Kagome explained, not wanting to go into too much detail. "Cloud and the others are traveling with us because they want to collect jewel shards too. They said that it was to protect the 'Planet' or something." Koga's momentary frown disappeared.

"Oh." Sango smiled slightly.

"They're very kind, offering to assist us in finding Naraku," she commented.

"Yeah…I wonder why they bother to help us?" Inuyasha frowned.

"Because they're _friends_, Inuyasha," Kagome chided.

"With their strength and skills, they will be a valuable asset," Miroku said. They all stared into the fire, lost in their individual thoughts.

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The members of AVALANCHE gathered in a spot in the forest that was close to the camp, but not close enough to hear Inuyasha and the others' conversation. In fact, AVALANCHE needed to talk to each other in private too.

"Do you guys really think that Naraku is good?" Tifa asked the group. "I mean, what they said…it doesn't seem like they were lying." Cait Sith blinked.

"But…Naraku said that they were _very_ good actors, and that we shouldn't believe a thing they said about him. Red lay down.

"Well, Kagome and the others didn't know that we knew Naraku, so they'd be less likely to lie." Yuffie frowned.

"But still! Maybe Inuyasha and co lie to everyone!" Cid gazed at the ground.

"They'd have to be pretty _damned good_ actors to act so innocent."

"Huh," Barret snorted. "And now we hafta _help_ them find Naraku."

"…if they can act, so can we," Vincent murmured. Cloud smiled.

"We'd have to be good actors too. I dunno…I mean, they _seem_ like good people, but maybe they aren't. We should probably trust Naraku…I mean, he seems innocent enough…" Red looked at him intently.

"…and you want to see Aeris again. You want her to be alive, don't you?" he asked softly. Cloud flushed slightly, and he averted his eyes.

"Yeah…but I'm not the only one that wants her to be alive, right?" Everyone nodded. Cloud fell into silence, thinking about the green-eyed Cetra. They got up, and headed back to the camp, everyone deep in thought.

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"We're baaaaaack!" Yuffie yelled, to alert Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, Koga, Hakkaku, and Ginta of their approach. The Inuyasha-tachi instantly stopped talking.

"Welcome back," Kagome said cheerfully, smiling at Cloud and the others.

"Yeah," Cloud grinned. Shippo yawned so widely, he toppled off Kagome's lap.

"We'd better get to sleep. Shippo's already really tired," Kagome said, getting into her sleeping bag. Inuyasha stared.

"What about dinner!" he yelped.

"We can skip that," Tifa said, also yawning. "We had lunch pretty late." Hakkaku and Ginta's stomachs grumbled, but they didn't dare complain. Everybody lay down and went to sleep, except Vincent. He sat upright and stared into the fire, thinking.

* * *

Also, thanks to Wish-full Thinker, Rebecca, Game2002, and Antonio/William/Guyome for reviewing! I love reviews, keep 'em coming guys! All of you. UUUUGHHH. I beat Schizo (left and right) FINALLY, after trying four times. After that, two of my members were dead and I had no more phoenix downs (I know, bad me). Then, WHAT DID I HAVE TO RUN INTO BEFORE I MADE IT TO THE PREVIOUS SAVE POINT AND THE HEALING POINT! I HAD TO RUN INTO A STUPID BLUE DRAGON, and I COULDN'T ESCAPE. WHAT MADNESS WAS THAT! So, I got killed. I have to beat Schizo all over again. He's not that hard, but it takes time. . Hahaha, I expected a fierce-looking spiky demon, and instead I get an average-height, skinny, pathetic, rather cute-looking, two-headed dragon. Funny. Don't get him wrong; Vincent _likes_ fighting. He just gets annoyed sometimes when he doesn't get a break. By the way, can you guys not ask me questions about the future stuff in the story (like, is Kikyo going to be in the story? Will Inuyasha and co find out that Cloud and co is in league with Naraku?) when you review? It's just that I'd be pretty much giving away the story if I answered. Anyway, drop by a review, will you? Thanks! XD

Next chapter: Chapter 14 - The Cave Behind the Waterfall.


	14. The Cave Behind the Waterfall

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

ARRRRGHHHH! I AM SO FREAKING SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED FOR LIKE A MILLION YEARS! I was gonna update this February 18, but I had to move, and my parents took down the internet before I could upload it. .

Oooh, yeah! I got good grades on my first semester report card! 95 in English, 93 in Science, 94 in Information Technology, and…I'm not saying for PE. Don't ask. MUHAHAHAHA! I am now getting a 99.9 in Math so far. -ish fabulously happy-

Oh yes, and a thing regarding the non-stop debating issue on who Sephiroth's father is. I think I've told someone before that it didn't matter who Sephiroth's father was, but I…changed my mind, I suppose. I had solid evidence that Hojo is Sephiroth's father, regardless of the popular idea that Vincent is Sephiroth's father. Those who disagree with me may say "He is not! I have lots of theories that say so!". Well, I'm sorry to say, I have found out something. And I'm really curious as to why the people who believe Vincent is Sephiroth's father still think so, since the evidence is very, very real. It says so in the game. In the scene before Cloud and co fight Hojo's three forms. Hojo actually _says_ that he's Sephiroth's father. I really don't get how some people who have _played_ the game still think so, when there is such solid proof. -sigh- Ah well, sorry to disappoint all you guys who thought that Vincent was Sephiroth's father (and no offense to you guys). I wasn't sure myself until I reached that part.

Note: Big long paragraphs in _italics_ are flashbacks. Normal text in flashbacks are emphasized words.

* * *

Chapter 14 - The Cave Behind the Waterfall

They had to get all the jewel shards. If they didn't, the jewel wouldn't be complete. If the jewel wasn't complete, Vincent wouldn't be able to see Lucrecia. Call him selfish, but he wouldn't loose the chance to have Lucrecia back at his side. To look into her bright, hazel eyes…run his hands through her smooth, brown hair…hold her close to him…to kiss her soft lips…

Vincent heard something. It was very faint. In fact, it was so faint that at first, Vincent thought that he had imagined it. But no…as Vincent sat stock still, he heard it again. A very, _very_ faint cry. I didn't sound human…more like the battle cries of demons or monsters. Vincent got up and left the camp silently. After walking through the forest for around 15 minutes, Vincent came out of the forest and was greeted with a horrendous sight. Hundreds of monsters and demons were gathered outside of the forest. Many of them were fighting each other, screeching and attacking. As Vincent looked around the area, he noticed that it was another valley. Suddenly, the monsters that weren't fighting looked at him. Vincent stepped back warily. His right hand fell onto the handle of his gun, which was in its hostler at his thigh. A monster - no, demon - spoke.

"A human," it growled. A snake-like demon contradicted it.

"No, thissss issss a demon." Vincent's eyes snapped back and forth. He felt that now wouldn't be a good time to point out that he was a human…or, at least, more human than demon. The other demon, which looked like an overgrown turtle, turned back to Vincent.

"Join us," it rumbled. Vincent's heart hammered madly against his ribs.

"…what are you doing?" he asked, forcing his voice into a calm tone.

"We are planning to massssacre a ccccity not far from here. To kill all the humanssss in their bedssss," the snake demon replied.

"How many are in your force?" Vincent questioned, mind racing.

"Only 200 now," the turtle demon grumbled. "We had over 300, but many of the others had disagreements. They killed each other, so there are only around 200 of us now, but that doesn't matter. We can kill all the humans easily." Vincent sighted inwardly with relief. That was good; only around 200 monsters left. So, the monsters were going to massacre a city.

"Which city are you all massacring?" he asking. The snake demon smiled.

"A ccccity besssside a beach. It hassss many humanssss." Vincent's eyes widened. They were going to attack Costa Del Sol! Vincent thought quickly. He couldn't yell to the others because he was too far away. They would never hear. He also couldn't run back to camp; it would take too long. The best solution was to fight the monsters himself, but he wasn't sure if he could handle 200 of them alone. Well. He would have to risk it.

"Well?" the turtle demon prompted. Vincent pulled out his gun.

"I'm afraid I can't join you." He shot the snake demon in the heart. It keeled over, instantly dead. The turtle demon roared and a ball of light formed in its mouth. Vincent shot it in the mouth. The bullet ripped through the demon's throat and killed it. Now, the other demons had their eyes on the sniper. They all attacked him, including the ones that had been fighting each other. Vincent ducked, and shot another demon. He ripped a monster's head of with his claw, jumped, and fired five times. Five monsters dropped dead. Vincent cast trine on all the demons in front of him. A large crow demon swooped at him, but Vincent rolled sideways and shot it in the neck. Then a flock of crow demons shot towards him, all cawing loudly. The gunman cast aqualung on them, and they instantly died, but another monster approached him from behind and stabbed him in the shoulder. Vincent leapt sideways and healed himself with cure. He poisoned all the demons and monsters, though it took a lot out of him. A monster erupted from the ground underneath him and managed to cut deeply into Vincent's left leg. He stumbled and cured himself again. Vincent's mind spun, and he came to a decision. Vincent focused on a red materia in his gun. "Bahmut…destroy these monsters and demons!" A huge dragon descended from the swirling, black sky that had formed above the creatures. It screeched, then a large ball of blue light formed in its mouth. The light grew bigger and pulsed…then it shot at all the monsters and demons, disintegrating half of the population. Vincent returned to reality, and saw that about 50 creatures were left. The sniper staggered slightly. His magical energy was drained, and his normal energy was going down. He was feeling more tired every moment…and he saw all the demons rushing at him. They were getting nearer…they were attacking him…he was dying…his mind was hazy and his vision was fading. Vincent stayed awake long enough to see himself glowing red…and felt his bones shifting, his skin stretching…Vincent was transforming! He felt himself grow stronger and his vision came back. he felt a mask forming over his face, and a chain appeared in his hand.

"So," Vincent registered dimly. "I have gotten a new limit break." He managed to regain his consciousness long enough to hear a rough, hoarse voice issue from himself. "Meet your death…Hellmasker," the newly transformed creature whispered. Vincent blacked out and left Hellmasker to defeat the fifty monsters left.

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Something landed on Cid's face. His eyes snapped open and he sat up.

"What the $!#ing hell!" he yelled as Yuffie snatched her hand back. She looked disgusted.

"Eww! you'd better not back drooled old man!" she shouted, checking her hand. "Good. No drool." Inuyasha turned over and rubbed his eyes.

"Ugh, morning already?" he grumbled. Kagome got up.

"Apparently, yeah. Hey, do we have any food?" she asked. Tifa took out a package of chocolate doughnuts. She handed one to everyone.

"Where's Vincent?" she asked, frowning. Cloud shrugged.

"Dunno. Did anyone see him leave this morning?" Everyone shook their heads.

"His scent's old," red said, sniffing the spot Vincent had sat last night. Red looked worried. "He hasn't been here since last night."

"What?" Sango looked up sharply. "Last night?" Red nodded.

"Where could he have gone?" Miroku frowned.

"Oh no…Vinnie must be in trouble!" Yuffie cried. Cait Sith blinked.

"Yeah. I mean, he wouldn't have left us!" Barret snorted.

"Gloomy ass can take care of himself."

"He's probably dead!" Yuffie sobbed. "And we were all snoring, not being able to-"

"Yuffie," Cloud said sharply. "Stop. Vincent'll be alright. We'll look for him." Red sniffed the ground again. He started walking. Everyone else followed silently. After around 15 minutes of walking, Inuyasha suddenly stopped.

"I smell blood," he said grimly. "Lots of it." Everybody looked at each other…then sprinted as fast as they could out of the forest.

"Oh. My. GAWD!" Yuffie shrieked. Kagome, Tifa, and Sango gasped. Everyone else stared. Dead demons were scattered all over the ground. Blood was thick on the dirt, suffocating the grass. Kagome looked around and screamed. Everyone turned around quickly. Vincent was lying on the ground, unconscious. He was covered in blood (his cape was pretty undistinguishable from his blood-covered clothes), and he had several rather nasty gashes all over his body. His face was unusually pale (in fact, it was stark-white), and his hair fell limply over it. Tifa ran over to him and bent down.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped, turning him over.

"What the friggin' hell happened to him?" Cid breathed, shocked. Cloud glanced around at the dead demons, at the broken Sniper CR (which was lying a few feet away from its owner), and then at Vincent.

"I think he killed all these demons by himself," he said quietly.

"But there are like over a _freaking hundred_ of them Cloud!" Yuffie shrieked.

"Not to mention the monsters that must've been here too," Cait Sith added.

"Thank goodness; he's only unconscious, not near death," Tifa said, sighing with relief. She pried Vincent's mouth open slowly and tipped a bottle of elixir into it. Vincent glowed bright silver for a moment, then all his injuries healed. His eyelids fluttered for a moment, then opened. Vincent found himself staring into the faces of his friends, including Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, and Kirara. They had all gathered around him and were now looking at him worriedly. Koga and his friends were standing to the side.

"Are you feeling okay?" Tifa asked. Vincent sat up slowly.

"…I'm fine. What…happened?" Everyone looked at him.

"We were just gonna ask you that," Cloud said, grinning. "We found you lying out here with all these dead demons after we noticed that you weren't in camp this morning." Vincent blinked, trying to remember the events of last night.

"…I heard noises, so I got up to check. When I reached this area, I saw hordes of demons and monsters gathered here. They said that they were going to attack Costa Del Sol, so I tried to stop them. I could not alert any of you for help." Everybody gaped at him.

"How many were there?" Barret asked.

"…around 200."

"Two friggin' hundred!" Cid yelped.

"Wow," Cloud said, impressed.

"You fought them by yourself?" Miroku asked. Vincent nodded.

"SWEET!" Yuffie yelled.

"…" As the others expressed their astonishment, Vincent stood up, looking rather annoyed. "We should be going," he said shortly. Everyone stared at him. he turned to Tifa. "Thank you for healing me." Kagome started pushing her bike along, and the others followed.

Koga walked a little distance away from Hakkaku and Ginta. He was deep in thought. Kagome didn't love him! She loved that mutt, Inuyasha. Koga had lost her. He had lost her! He had no one…no one that treated him like Kagome did…nobody that he could take as his mate. He was…alone.

"You have Ayame," a voice in Koga's head said. Ayame…although Koga had said that he didn't remember his promise on the night of the lunar rainbow moon, he actually _did_ remember. He could go to Ayame…she would be willing to be his mate. "Unless she's already found someone else," the voice said. Well…it was worth a try.

"Kagome," Koga said abruptly. "I have to go now." Kagome blinked, surprised, but nodded.

"Alright. Bye Koga." Koga waved at her, then started off in another direction. Kagome called after him. "By the way, Koga…good luck with Ayame." Koga's eyes widened. How did she know? He turned around slowly.

"Thanks Kagome. Take care." He sped off.

"Wait up Koga!" Hakkaku and Ginta called, running after him. Kagome smiled and shook her head while the others look confused.

"Well, that was…interesting," Barret commented. The sun shone brightly as the big group walked on. Tifa gazed at the blue sky thoughtfully.

"You know guys…I wonder if our worlds will go back to normal one day…if they'll separate."

"That'll probably only happen if the dimension materia got fixed," Red said.

"How do you fix materia?" Miroku asked. Cloud shrugged.

"With mako, probably. Materia is made out of mako, after all." Inuyasha's sharp ears picked up the unmistakable sounds of rushing water.

"There's water up ahead," he said, cutting into the conversation.

"Oh goodie, let's see!" Cait Sith ran ahead (well, hopped, actually). Everyone else followed. They all stopped in front of a large pond…tiny lake…something like that. The water glistened as the sun shone on it, and a waterfall splashed down on the rocks below, half-submerged in the lake.

"Wow! A lake!" Yuffie gushed happily.

"We can wash up here!" Kagome said, equally happy. "Yes!" Cloud smiled.

"Alright everyone, take a break." He put down his sack. So did everyone else. Yuffie got her swimsuit out and dashed behind a large boulder.

"No peeking!" she called. Tifa stood on the other side of the boulder.

"I'll keep watch for you," she said, eyeing Miroku. He was hovering near the boulder, looking disappointed to see Tifa standing guard. She narrowed her eyes at him and raised her fists threateningly.

"Scram!" Miroku scurried away. Yuffie stepped out from behind the boulder, clad in a yellow, two-piece swimsuit.

"Your turn Tifa!" she told the older woman cheerfully. "I'll stand guard." Tifa nodded, gathered her swimsuit, and went behind the large rock.

"Oh!" Kagome ran over with her swimsuit. "I'd like to change after Tifa does." Sango also came over.

"Um, Kagome? I don't have one of the pieces of clothing you guys wear when you swim…" Kagome frowned.

"Oh no…" Tifa came out.

"Don't worry, I still have Aeris' swimsuit. Sango can wear it." Tifa looked sad when she said this. Kagome smiled.

"Great! But who's Aeris?" she asked. Yuffie sighed sadly.

"She was our friend, but she's…she's…dead." Kagome and Sango gasped.

"I'm sorry," Sango said. "It must've been horrible…"

"It was," Tifa said quietly. "We all miss her…" The girls fell silent as Kagome went to change and Sango stood guard. Then they switched. Yuffie put a foot in the lake.

"Hey, the water's kind of warm and cool…like, perfect!" She jumped in. Sango came out from behind the boulder nervously. She had never worse such little clothing in front of the men before. Fortunately for her, Aeris had preferred to wear one-piece swimsuits. The one Sango was wearing was white. Tifa wore a black, two-piece swimsuit, and Kagome wore a green, two-piece one. The men had also changed into their swimsuits, except Barret and Vincent (Red and Cait Sith also, of course. They don't need swimsuits.). Miroku had borrowed an extra swimsuit from Cloud. Inuyasha had one that Kagome had bought for him. Barret sat on the bank. He eyed the water.

"I don't like the damned water," he mumbled. Vincent didn't like the idea of going bare-chested in front of so many people very much. He had a black and red swimsuit (Aeris had insisted on getting him one in Costa Del Sol once, when they had gone back there after getting the Tiny Bronco). But, as Vincent looked at his clothes, he realized that he was still covered in blood from yesterday night's fight. He sighed. Well, he had no choice but to change and wash his clothes…

Tifa stood on the edge of the water, getting ready to dive in. She was suddenly pushed by rough, strong hands.

"AHHHH!" she shrieked as she hit the water. She surfaced, spluttering, and saw Cloud grinning at her. Her heart fluttered slightly. Cloud dove in next to her and caused another wave to hit her face.

"You're going to pay for that Cloud!" Tifa yelled, and started swimming madly after him. He laughed. Cloud's eyes widened as huge splashes pelted him. He started swimming quickly.

"St-stop Tifa!" he shouted, trying to get away from the fierce woman.

"Ha! Take _that_, Cloud!" Tifa splashed the poor blonde again. Yuffie was riding on Cait Sith's mog, while Cait Sith sat on her head. Red was floating peacefully, basking in the sun. His peace was short-lived, however, as Cid started splashing him to annoy him. Sango was chasing Miroku and whopping him on the head because he had tried to grope her underwater. Kagome was splashing an annoyed Inuyasha happily.

Vincent walked over to the edge of the waterfall and took out a bottle of liquid soap. As he reached up to unfasten his cape, Yuffie snuck up behind him.

"Whoopsy-daisies Vinnie!" she laughing, and pushed him right into the waterfall. Vincent lost his balance and fell, right through the waterfall. Yuffie blinked and stared at where Vincent had stood two seconds ago. "Vinnie?" She had expected a mountain wall behind the waterfall, not something else. Yuffie stepped under the waterfall, attempting to go after Vincent, but got hit by a furious blast of water. She ran right out, back into the sunlight, coughing. Well, that was unpleasant. Vincent would be alright…after all, he always took care of himself. He would be alright…Yuffie hoped. She ran back and jumped into the lake, falling right onto an unfortunate Cloud, who had been trying to escape Tifa.

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Vincent's head hit the ground…which was _very_ hard. Stars burst in front of Vincent's eyes. After a while, Vincent's vision returned, and he found himself staring at a cave's ceiling. Lights danced across it, and he heard someone sobbing. A woman. Vincent sat up slowly, his head throbbing horribly. He quickly cured it and stood up. Vincent turned around. Then stared. It couldn't be…impossible!

"…Lucrecia?" The woman stopped sobbing and looked up slowly. Her hazel eyes widened.

"V-Vincent?" She blinked. "No…no, you _couldn't_ be him…you don't look like him very much, although you sound sort of like him. And he would be so old now…"

"L-Lucrecia…" Vincent's breathing had become shallow and quick. She was here! She was sitting in front of him! She was…_alive_. And that was all that mattered. Vincent stepped forward, and Lucrecia backed up against the crystals that were behind her. She was sitting on a sort of smooth platform that had crystals, that were formed in a sort of U-shape, jutting out from it. Lucrecia looked at Vincent warily through her teary, red-rimmed eyes.

"W-who are you?" Vincent faltered slightly, looking at her. His expression disturbed Lucrecia greatly. He had a sort of wild happiness on his face…something close to _hunger_.

"L-Lucrecia? You don't…you don't recognize me?" Tears leaked out of Lucrecia's eyes as she stared at him, now frightened.

"Who are you! What do you want! W-why do you sound so much like Vincent! Go away!" Vincent gazed at her, his wild happiness gone.

"Lucrecia…" he said softly. "I _am_ Vincent. Vincent Valentine, of the Turks, so long ago…" Lucrecia's eyes grew even bigger.

"V-Vincent? Is that…is that really you?" Vincent smiled, nodding. Lucrecia frowned slightly. "Why do you l-look so different? Why aren't you old? W-what happened to your l-left arm?" The smile on Vincent's face faded as he looked at her worriedly. She was shaking, her face pale and tear-streaked.

"I…" The sniper looked away. The memory flashed back to him.

_27-year old Vincent Valentine arrived at the room. He knocked on the door. A 25-year old Heidegger opened the door. He smiled widely, all of his uneven teeth showing._

_"Ah, Mr. Valentine! Come in." He opened the door and Vincent stepped inside. He bowed slightly._

_"Good morning, President Shinra." Presidents Shinra was 30 years old, and basically looked like a shorter version of Rufus, except that the president was very ugly while Rufus was quite handsome._

_"Good morning Mr. Valentine." Vincent straightened. He noticed that two scientists were in the room. One was a dark-haired man that wore glasses. He was _extremely_ ugly and had the aura of a person that spent most of his time working. Vincent would practically _see_ "workaholic" splashed all over his face. The other scientist was a beautiful young woman of around 23. She had long, silky chestnut hair that was tied up in a high ponytail with a wide, yellow ribbon and large, hazel eyes. The young woman smiled when Vincent looked at her. President Shinra continued. "As you see, we have two scientists with us. They will be traveling to Nibelheim to study a new specimen we have recently discovered. It is christened Jenova. This specimen has been found on the Northern Continent. This is Professor Hojo Garner and Professor Lucrecia Crescent. They will be going up into the Nibel Mountains to collect some mako that is plentiful there, and your job will be to protect them from harm, should any monsters attack them. Professors, this is Vincent Valentine, leader of the Turks. He will be your bodyguard, along with some third-ranking members of SOLDIER. He and the members of SOLDIER will live with you in the Shinra Mansion."_

_"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Valentine," Lucrecia said as Hojo nodded._

_"It is my pleasure to meet you to, Miss Crescent." Vincent turned to Hojo. "And Mr. Garner, of course." Lucrecia laughed softly._

_"Oh, just call me Lucrecia." Vincent inclined his head._

_"Then please call me Vincent." Hojo grunted._

_"Hojo will do just fine," he said. Vincent nodded._

_"Vincent, I trust that you have your bags packed?"_

_"Yes, sir." The president grinned._

_"Alright, well, you'll all be going now. Your bags are in the car outside. Good luck with your study!" Vincent, Lucrecia, and Hojo went outside. They got into the middle compartment of the limousine that had been waiting for them. Seven third-ranking members of SOLDIER were in the back compartment. There was a wall that separated the middle and back compartment of the limo, but there was only a soundproof, transparent screen that separated the front (driver's) compartment. A switch was on one of the side doors that allowed a part of the screen to open so that people and the driver could contact each other. The only way to talk to the people in the back compartment was through a small door in the wall that separated them._

_The drive consisted of Vincent and Lucrecia chatting happily, while Hojo sat stiffly, not saying much. And then, they arrived at Nibelheim…_

_The days at Nibelheim had been pretty happy. Vincent had been going out with Lucrecia more and more. One morning, Vincent had bought a beautiful crystal ring. It had a diamond set in the center, with everything else made of a rare crystal. Vincent asked Lucrecia out to lunch that day. She agreed._

_"And then, I said to her, we're _scientists_! Have you ever seen scientist running through the halls, screaming '_needles!_'?" Lucrecia and Vincent's laughter filled the small restaurant._

_"Lucrecia, you have quite a…fascinating life." Lucrecia giggled._

_"Oh, Vincent. You don't mean that." Vincent smiled._

_"Why, yes I do. You could write a book, titled 'The Fascinating Life of a Scientist: Daily Records of the Activities in Needles'. It would be sure to become a bestseller." They laughed again._

_"You're so funny Vincent." Vincent smiled again._

_"Lucrecia…have you ever considered life with…someone else? That isn't a scientist?" Lucrecia smiled at him, though she looked curious._

_"Hm…no, I haven't."_

_"Would you enjoy life with someone that _wasn't_ a scientist?"_

_"Well, that would depend on who the person is. Why?"_

_"Lucrecia…" Vincent took her hand in his. He took out a small, smooth, black box with his left hand and opened it. Nestled in the center of the velvet was a diamond ring, completely made of sparkling crystal. "I love you. Will you…marry me?" Lucrecia stared at the ring. The smile slipped off her face._

_"It's beautiful…" she said quietly. Vincent watched her, frowning slightly. He had expected her to be overjoyed, but she wasn't._

_"What is it, Lucrecia? Is there something wrong?" Lucrecia's bottom lip trembled and she averted her eyes._

_"I should have told you this earlier…I can't accept the ring…oh Vincent. I'm…I'm pregnant." Vincent felt the world crashing around his ears. She was…she was _what

_"Y…you're…" He stared at her. Her eyes had filled with tears._

_"Yes…I'm so sorry Vincent! I'm pregnant with Hojo's baby…we're going to use Sephiroth - the baby - in an experiment. Hojo's going to inject Jenova cells in my womb so that the baby will get affected by them and…Vincent?" Vincent had stood up. He took out 200 gil and put it on the table to pay for their meals._

_"I'm sorry Lucrecia. I can't say, I'll have to cut our lunch short. Goodbye." Vincent walked away, his face blank of any emotion, hiding the anguish and sorrow that had stabbed his heart. A mask had slipped over his face as soon as he realized that Lucrecia had a baby. That she wasn't joking. He showed nothing as he saw Lucrecia's sad, regretful, bewildered face, and left._

"Vincent?" Vincent snapped back to reality. He looked at Lucrecia. He looked at Lucrecia, who was gazing at him. "You…you didn't answer my questions." Vincent looked off, over Lucrecia's shoulder.

"You wish to know why I am like this?" He smiled ruefully. "Do you remember a certain scientist named Hojo…?"

_"Help! Help! HELP! Please, give me by baby! Please, don't take away Sephiroth!" Vincent rushed into the room where Lucrecia was. She was sitting on the bed, sobbing widly, surrounded by a few women who looked helplessly at him._

_"Lucrecia, what…?" Lucrecia screamed with sorrow._

_"Please Vincent, _please_! They've taken away Sephiroth! They've taken away my baby! PLEASE, DON'T LET THEM TOUCH HIM! Please, _bring him back_!" Vincent felt terrible at seeing the woman he loved filled with so much pain._

_"Don't worry Lucrecia, I'll bring him back!" Vincent shouted as he dashed off, into the lab. "HOJO!" he bellowed as he sped into the room. Vincent saw Hojo standing in the middle of the lab, with a gun pointing at him. Sephiroth was lying on a table, wailing. Hojo smiled._

_"Welcome to my lab, Vincent Valentine." Before Vincent could react, the mad scientist pulled the trigger._

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_Vincent awoke to fine himself strapped to an operating table. He was in the Shinra Mansion's lab…_Hojo's_ lab. Vincent tried to move, but his body was paralyzed. Needles filled with mako and other substances were stuck into him, and he saw that one of the particularly large needles was connected to a small tub of mako nearby that was getting…pumped into him. The tub was nearly empty. His eyes widened as Hojo approached him, holding another needle full of a red liquid that looked like blood._

_"W-what have you done with Lucrecia?" Vincent croaked. Hojo smiled._

_"She is being nursed back to health…and is confined, of course. he won't stop throwing tantrums. Don't worry, I haven't hurt her." Vincent glared at him._

_"What are you…doing to me!" Hojo laughed softy as he stuck the needle he was holding into Vincent's right leg._

_"I'm experimenting on you, Vincent. You're almost complete. This is the last injection of monster cells."' Vincent stared._

_"Monster cells!" Hojo grinned._

_"Yes. I have injected you with the cells of four different monsters. Don't ask me why. You will see for yourself in the future. Now, just one more thing to do." Hojo pulled out all the needles in Vincent. "Oh, wait. Would you like to see yourself first?" Hojo held up a mirror. Vincent's eyes widened even more. His skin had turned very pale, his hair was messed up, and his crimson-red eyes…glowed._

_"You-!" Vincent said furiously. Hojo said nothing. He dropped the mirror onto the table and pulled out a small sword from underneath it. Vincent recognized it as one of the swords the cadets of SOLDIER would use._

_"Now, the finishing touch…" Hojo raised the sword, right above Vincent's left arm. Vincent realized what he was going to do. A horrified expression stole over the Turk's face._

_"Hojo! Are you ma-" Hojo swung the sword. Excruciating pain ripped through Vincent's body as he watched his left arm fall to the floor. Hojo had chopped off the lower part of Vincent's left arm, a little below the elbow. The gunman gritted his teeth. Vincent was in absolute agony, but he refused to cry out. Hojo brought over a golden, metal thing. It was an…arm. The arm was completely made out of metal, and the fingers ended in five, wicked-looking claws. Wire were jutting out of the top end of the claw. Hojo stuck them into the stump of Vincent's left arm, and wired them in. At this moment, the pain was almost unbearable. The scientist poured some mako to meld the flesh with the metal. So great was the pain that, for a second, Vincent's vision winked out. But, the pain was soothed by the mako, to Vincent's surprise, and his vision came back. After a few moments, Vincent started to feel something in his new left arm. Hojo noticed the change of expression on Vincent's face and dumped water over the claw. Vincent felt the familiar, wet feeling of water flowing over his hand._

_"Can you feel that?" Hojo asked, his eyes narrowed. Vincent didn't answer. Hojo smiled. "Good. The _claw_ is a success. You will find that you cannot feel any pain with it, which will undoubtedly work to your benefit. If you ever wake up, that is." Hojo stabbed Vincent with another needle, and Vincent found himself falling asleep._

"He…he did that to you?" Lucrecia whispered, horrified. Vincent nodded. Lucrecia's eyes filled with tears again. "Oh, I'm so sorry Vincent!" Vincent shook his head.

"Do no be sorry. It is my fault. If I had stopped Hojo-"

"Don't blame yourself!" Lucrecia cried. "Oh, Vincent…it's my fault. I shouldn't have agreed to Hojo's plans…oh…" Vincent gazed at her.

"Lucrecia…" he murmured. The woman was sobbing again. Vincent moved forward and bent down next to her. She fell into his arms and cried into his shoulder.

"Oh Vincent…it's been so long! I haven't seen you or Sephiroth since the first day he was born. I miss him so much…my child…my only son…" Lucrecia lifted her head to face Vincent. "Vincent…please, tell me…do you know…is Sephiroth a-alive?" Vincent looked down at her sadly. What could he say? He could hardly tell her that her beloved son had become a killing maniac that thought Jenova was his mother and wanted to become God by summoning a huge meteor to destroy the Planet.

"I-I'm sorry Lucrecia. He is…dead." Lucrecia's eyes widened. She gasped, then started wailing with sorrow.

"Dead? Dead? Dead! My only son…my dear Sephiroth is _dead_! Oh Vincent!" She screamed into his arms, beating her fists onto the floor. Vincent gripped her tightly. He put his arms around her and held her against him.

"Lucrecia…please, don't cry. I am sorry…" Lucrecia buried her head into the gunman's shoulder while crying and trying to breathe.

"Vincent…I've tried to kill myself before, but the Jenova in me won't let me die…no matter how hard I try, I can't die Vincent…if only someone else killed me…oh Vincent…can you do me a favor?" Vincent looked at her sharply.

"No, Lucrecia. I know what you want me to do. I will _not_ kill you!" Lucrecia sniffed. Vincent sighed. "I'm sorry Lucrecia…" Lucrecia sobbed.

"Oh Vincent…I want to die so much! Why? WHY!"

"Lucrecia, look at me!" Lucrecia stopped crying, shocked at the harsh tone Vincent was using. "Lucrecia…you have been given a longer life. No matter how unwilling you are, how cursed, how sorrowful you are, you still have a longer life. Make use of it. I know that you are very sad because Sephiroth is dead, but even if Sephiroth was alive, he would not know you. Him being alive not really make a difference. I am sorry to say these terrible words, but they are the truth. You have a life. You have not died. Make use of your life. Start a new life. Find someone who loves you and stay with them. Have another child that you can nurse and take care of if you wish. Please, Lucrecia…do not spend the rest of your days in this miserable cave, crying over a dead son who never knew you." Lucrecia pushed herself away from Vincent, livid.

"How can you say those things!" she cried. She turned away. "Please, leave Vincent." Vincent's eyes widened.

"Lucrecia-"

"Leave. Please Vincent, just leave! And don't come back." Lucrecia broke down, crying again. Vincent stood up. He was shocked. His body felt numb. He did not know why, but he didn't feel anything as he walked away. Perhaps it was because, after all that had happened to him, he had finally found his love, and she had pushed him away. Told him to leave…and never come back. _Never come back_. The sniper left the cave, feeling nothing, showing nothing, and oblivious to all the emotions in the world.

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Yuffie was still splashing around happily with Cloud and Tifa when she noticed Vincent walk out of the waterfall. Somehow, he looked different. His face was so blank that it just didn't look…possible. Yuffie went over to him.

"Hiya Vinnie!" she said as she bounded over. "Look, I'm sorry I-"

"Do not talk to me." Vincent cut through Yuffie's apology. His voice was cold…so icy that it also didn't seem possible. Yuffie stared.

"No, Vinn- Vincent, I really _am_-" Vincent interrupted her again.

"I said, do no talk to me." He spoke in the same, freezing tone as before. Yuffie was completely bewildered and a little hurt. Surely, he wouldn't be _that_ mad at her. She was trying to apologize!

"Why are you so angry at me, Vincent? I'm really sorry I pushed you! I swear, I'll never do it again! Why-"

"I do not have any need for your pathetic apologies. You a worthless, pathetic, dumb, piece of filth, a mere rodent. I do not know why I am even bothering to talk to something lower than a slug." Vincent walked away from the ninja, who was stunned beyond belief.

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Wow, that was long. Poor Vincent…and poor Yuffie. I realize that Inuyasha can kill 100 demons in one sweep of the Tessaiga, but the creatures Vincent fought also contained many, many monsters, and we all know how hard they are to kill. Anyway, I'm going to start another fanfiction, which if fully FFVII based, so sorry to all the Inuyasha fans! But yay to all the FFVII fans. It's about…well, I'm not saying. I've already written the first 5 chapters! Rejoice! I'll try to get the new story posted as soon as it's up. You all will be able to tell which one it is, because I'll be crazily plugging in notes for you to go read it in the next chapter, probably. If you _really_ want to know what the new story is about, ask nicely, and I may tell you. XD Oh, and I also have a oneshot written. Thanks to everyone who reviewed for the last chapter! -sobs about the broken Sniper CR- So, next chapter: Chapter 15 - The Unfeeling Mask of Cold Despair. REVIEW


	15. The Unfeeling Mask of Cold Despair

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

**READ MY NEW STORY**. It's called What I Wish For, and is Vincent based (way more Vincent based than this story). It's a VinTif. Please read it and REVIEW. I will be one very happy iyoku-ishi if you do.

Not a lot of reviews for the last chapter of this fanfiction…-sigh- But whatever, and thanks to all the people who reviewed! XD

Note: Big long paragraphs in _italics_ are flashbacks. Normal text in flashbacks are emphasized words.

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Chapter 15 - The Unfeeling Mask of Cold Despair

Yuffie stood there. She couldn't understand why Vincent had been so cold to her. He had never been so…mean, so icy! She was only trying to apologize! The ninja's eyes filled with tears. She sat in the shadows of the surrounding mountains, crying softly. She didn't mean to push Vincent into the waterfall and over to whatever was on the other side. It was only a joke, to get him wet!

Tifa noticed that Vincent was alone. Yuffie wasn't anywhere near him. She had been gone a long time. Where was she? Tifa scanned the area, and with a jolt of surprise, saw Yuffie in the shadows, crying.

"Hey, Cloud." Cloud had been about to splash Tifa in the face, but stopped.

"What?" Tifa pointed at Yuffie. Cloud's eyes widened. "What happened to her? I thought she went to talk to Vincent." Tifa nodded, looking worried. She glanced at Vincent, but he was staring at the water, his expression unfathomable. Tifa and Cloud dried off, then went over to where Yuffie sat, crying. Tifa bent down and Cloud kneeled, next to Yuffie.

"Yuffie, what's wrong?" Tifa asked gently. Yuffie took a shuddering breath, then burst into tears. She flung herself at Tifa.

"Oh, Tifa! Why…why!" Tifa was shocked. She patted Yuffie on the back while Cloud looked bewildered.

"What happened Yuffie?" the blond-haired swordsman asked. Yuffie sobbed.

"I-I don't know. I pushed Vincent under the w-waterfall before. I just w-wanted to get h-him wet! I didn't know t-that there was something else b-behind it, and he fell r-right through. I wanted to go after h-him, but the water was horrible and I thought that he'd b-be okay. I just saw him come out. I went over to apologize, b-but he d-didn't want to hear a thing! He said some awful things, and was s-so c-cold! It was only a joke! W-why was he so mean!" Yuffie cried. Tifa frowned.

"Oh, poor Yuffie. There there, don't cry," she said. Cloud stood up angrily.

"I'll go talk to him," he said furiously. Yuffie looked up wildly.

"N-no Cloud, don't go! V-Vincent'll just hate me even more if you go talk to him…" Cloud frowned.

"Yuffie, we can't let him treat you like this! I'm going to go talk to him!" Tifa glanced at Cloud. He looked like he wanted to do more than talk.

"What did Vincent say to you, Yuffie?" she asked softly. Yuffie gulped.

"He…he said that m-my apologizes were p-pathetic and that I was a w-worthless person…a piece of filth…a rodent…something lower than a slug." Now Tifa looked angry.

"He _what_!" she exclaimed. Cloud looked livid with anger.

"That's it! I'm doing _more_ than talking!" Yuffie grabbed his leg as he tried to leave.

"No! Cloud, please, j-just talk it out. I'm sure he has his reasons for acting this w-way." Cloud fumed.

"Alright. Don't worry Yuffie, I'll have this sorted out." Cloud stomped over to where Vincent stood. He stopped in front of him. "YOU!" Cloud bellowed, into Vincent's face. Vincent stared at him. For a second, Cloud faltered. He was unnerved by Vincent's eyes. Before, the gunman's eyes were emotionless and empty. Now, however, they were cold and unfeeling, as through blocks of ice had formed behind them. Everyone else had become silent and were staring at the two. Vincent continued staring at Cloud.

"What do you want?" he asked bluntly. Cloud's anger was refueled by Vincent's rudeness.

"What do I want! I'll tell you what I want! I want to know why you treated Yuffie like a piece of crap!" Vincent closed his eyes.

"That is because she _is_ one." Cloud stared, shocked. Everyone else was also shocked. Yuffie burst into tears again. Tifa tried to comfort her. Cloud's face was turning red from anger.

"Yuffie is NOT A PIECE OF CRAP!" he roared. "What is wrong with you!" Vincent turned away, face blank, eyes still closed.

"Nothing is wrong with me." Cloud shook with rage. He raised a fist.

"YOU-!" Vincent's left claw came up and stopped Cloud's fist from hitting him. The fingers dug mercilessly into Cloud's skin. Cloud wrenched his hand back, trembling from anger. "Yuffie just played a _joke_ on you. Why are you overreacting so much?" Vincent turned and looked at him coldly.

"You would be surprised at how Yuffie's little joke has nothing to do with this." Cloud blinked. He looked confused.

"…Yuffie's joke has nothing to do with this?" Vincent didn't reply. He walked away and disappeared around a bend.

"What the hell's his fricken' problem?" Cid asked, glaring at where Vincent had disappeared. He turned to Yuffie. "Don't worry kid, he's just being a #$$!ing jackass." Yuffie sniffed.

"Thanks Cid," she said. Cid nodded. "Something must've happened to him…"

"Mebbe he had a knock on the head. Suffered brain damage," Barret growled.

"Well, he's a damned cold bastard," Inuyasha commented.

"That wasn't Vincent," Tifa said quietly. "That wasn't the real Vincent."

"Seemed pretty real to me," Cait Sith said. Tifa shook her head.

"No, I mean personality-wise." Cait Sith blinked.

"Oh," he said. Yuffie gulped, then sniffed again.

"Come on guys. We'd better go after Vincent. No matter how bad he is to me, he still helped us before. We can't abandon him." Cloud sighed, but nodded.

"Alright. Let's mosey."

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Lucrecia cried by herself in the cave, unknown to AVALANCHE. What had she done? After years of pain, when she was sure that all the people she loved were dead, Vincent turned up. He was here…alive…and she had turned him away. How could she do that! Vincent must've been deeply hurt and heartbroken. Sephiroth was dead…Vincent was right. Sephiroth didn't know her. Even if he saw her now. Hojo had raised him, away from her. Lucrecia had never seen her son, and Sephiroth had never seen his real mother. She had cried for thirty years…it was enough. There was no use crying over a son she had never known.

_"Start a new life. Find someone who loves you…"_ These words echoed in Lucrecia's head. Yes. She should start a new life. And find someone who loved her…

"Vincent loves me," Lucrecia thought. "And I love him too…maybe if I find him now and apologize, he'll forgive me. We can start a family…live happily…forget about our past…" Lucrecia dried her tears and stood up. She walked out of the cave, determined to find Vincent.

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Vincent was sitting with his back against a boulder. He hadn't gone far from the waterfall, though he wasn't near it either. He knew that Cloud and the others were heading toward him. Much as he hated them all at the moment, he didn't feel like leaving the group. Perhaps it was because he had been with AVALANCHE too long…or the fact that since they were all going after jewel shards, they were bound to run into Hojo. The crazed scientist would want to experiment with the jewel shards by putting them into mako…or something like that. Then Vincent would get his revenge. He would kill Hojo. And he would…

The sniper's ears caught the sounds of people walking. So, the others had caught up. Cloud was the first one that appeared around the corner. He was followed by Tifa, Yuffie, and everyone else. They stopped at the sight of Vincent. Cloud instantly scowled, and Yuffie hid behind Tifa. The blond swordsman stared at Vincent for another moment, then continued walking. As he passed Vincent, he spoke.

"If you still want to travel with us, you can. Be warned though: I won't tolerate you treating Yuffie or anyone else like crap." Tifa glanced down at Vincent as she passed him.

"Vincent," she said quietly. "Please come with us. You've been with us for so long…we're all a group." Vincent didn't reply or look at her, but he stood up slowly. Tifa smiled at him. "Thanks Vincent," she said softly. "I don't know what happened to you back there, but I'm sure that underneath that mask of yours, the real Vincent is still hiding." She walked on after Cloud. Vincent stood there. Tifa's words had embedded themselves into him. He did not know why he was feeling this way; he was supposed to be unfeeling to the world, but Tifa's words had meant something to him. As Vincent walked on behind the entire group, a crack appeared in the hard, cold, icy, stone case that had enclosed his heart.

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Lucrecia stepped out of the waterfall into the bright sunlight. She was soaked from the waterfall, but the sun instantly warmed her up. She took a deep breath of fresh air and exhaled fully. Lucrecia hadn't been outside for so long…at least 10 years. It was crazy, she knew, but she had been in such sorrow and pain, she hadn't bothered to leave the cave. She tried to starve herself to death, but the Jenova in her just refused to let her die. She didn't eat, didn't come out, didn't age, didn't die…it was just horrible. Lucrecia had not realized how much she missed the outdoors…the scene was simply beautiful. The water in the lake sparkled, the surface of some rocks glowed, the waterfall ran on merrily, and the sun shone. The sky was clear, blue, and birds flew through it, chirping. What a beautiful day…and Lucrecia realized how much of life she had missed. But then, she didn't know that Vincent was alive. Lucrecia stood in front of the waterfall and thought back to the happy days they had had together.

_"Hi Vincent," Lucrecia said as she entered the kitchen. It was the second day they spent at Nibelheim since they arrived. Vincent turned around. He was frying pancakes. He smiled._

_"Oh, hello Lucrecia." Lucrecia walked over, next to him._

_"I didn't know you could cook." Vincent continued smiling._

_"Well, I only know how to cook a few things. I'm afraid that my cooking is not a contest winner." Lucrecia smiled at him._

_"It doesn't matter Vincent. I'm sure your cooking is still really good. It's so kind of you to make breakfast." She glanced around the kitchen. "Oh, have you seen Hojo?" Vincent nodded._

_"He came here ten minutes ago, when I was just starting to mix the batter. I told him that I was making pancakes, but he just took some toast and headed down to the lab." Lucrecia frowned._

_"Well, that was rude of him. At least he could wait for your pancakes." Vincent shrugged and heaped the pancakes onto two plates._

_"It's alright. I don't mind; he's probably very busy." The man poured maple syrup onto both platters and handed one to Lucrecia. She smiled again._

_"Thanks Vincent!" Vincent flashed her a flirtatious grin and winked. Lucrecia blushed and a giggled escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Lucrecia's eyes widened and she put a hand up to her mouth as she turned even redder. "Oh, I was…uh…laughing at…uh…the…er…um…well, I…erm…eh…ah…ugh. Shame on your for doing that, Vincent!" The Turk just smiled again and sat down. He put on a sad face._

_"Oh, woe to me, I have made the charming Lucrecia laugh! This must be the worst of all the sins I have committed, and I shall pay dearly for it!" Lucrecia giggled again. She looked down at the maple-syrup topped pancakes._

_"These look good." Vincent cut his pancakes up and sighed._

_"Just don't be too disappointed when you taste them." Lucrecia, smiling, shook her head and put a piece of pancake into her mouth. Her eyes widened and she chewed slowly, savoring the taste. She swallowed and stared at Vincent._

_"These are delicious!" the scientist exclaimed as she took another bite. "Wow, these are really good!" Vincent looked pleased._

_"I'm glad you think that way, Lucrecia," he said softly._

_The following morning, Lucrecia entered the kitchen to find Vincent making breakfast again. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder._

_"Hi Vincent." Vincent looked behind his shoulder._

_"Hello Lucrecia." He went back to flipping the eggs and bacon._

_"I see that you're making breakfast again" Lucrecia said, sniffing. "Mmm, they smell good." Vincent handed her a plate and put the food onto it. Lucrecia thanked him, then glanced around the kitchen. "Hey, Hojo isn't here again." Vincent nodded._

_"He took toast down into the lab, like yesterday." Lucrecia sighed, but sat down and took a bite of scrambled egg. "Oh, I just love your cooking Vincent." Vincent smiled slightly._

_"I thought that women were supposed to do the cooking?" Lucrecia looked at him._

_"Oh Vincent, that was like, fifty years ago, not in these modern times. But, I'll cook for you tomorrow."_

_"I would like that. A hazel-eyed beauty bringing breakfast to me in my bed…"_

_"I'm not bringing breakfast to you in your bed, silly!"_

_"Well, I'll still have a beautiful maiden cooking something for me," Vincent said. Lucrecia blushed again. She looked at Vincent, who was gazing at her, amused._

_"Are you flirting with me, young man?" Vincent smiled slyly._

_"Hey, you're younger than me! What makes you think that I'm flirting with you?" Lucrecia blinked, still blushing._

_"Um, well, you're acting weird…calling me beautiful…and who knows what other thoughts you're thinking at the moment." She jumped slightly as Vincent's breath warmed the side of her neck._

_"Well, maybe I am." Lucrecia didn't know what to say._

_"Ah…uh…well…well…" Vincent gathered up her plate, dumped both places into the dishwasher, then returned to Lucrecia's side._

_"You seem to like it." Lucrecia reddened._

_"What! I…I…" Vincent's right hand slipped over hers._

_"Don't deny it. I can tell by your giggling, blushing, stuttering, and your indignant expression." He bent closer to the woman. "What are you feeling now, I wonder?" he whispered. Lucrecia gulped._

_"I-"_

_"Ahem." Vincent and Lucrecia spun around. Hojo was standing in the doorway, staring at them, eyebrows raised. Vincent instantly snatched his hand back and straightened. Hojo stared at them for another second, then spoke. "I'm going to go up to the Nibel Mountains to collect some more mako for my experiments. You two and the members of SOLDIER will have to come with me." Lucrecia and Vincent nodded._

_"I will go get the SOLDIERs." Vincent walked out of the room. Hojo looked at Lucrecia. He frowned, and she averted her eyes._

_"You are here to study the Jenova specimen Lucrecia. Get to work." He left._

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_The group, which consisted of six people, walked along the mountain path. There were Hojo, Lucrecia, Vincent, and three SOLDIERs. A couple of monsters would pop out and attack them occasionally, but the SOLDIERs killed them. Lucrecia shivered slightly and buttoned her coat. Vincent tensed. He could hear something moving that wasn't human. The members of SOLDIER also tensed warily. They gripped their swords tightly. Suddenly, a huge bat popped out of nowhere. One of the SOLDIERs, Robbie, leapt and sliced it in half as it headed towards him. Five more bats came out of the crevices of the mountain. Four centipede-like creatures crawled up behind the group. Vincent turned around and saw one attached to Lucrecia's back. Its head stuck up over her shoulder. Vincent pointed his gun at her. Her eyes widened and she stared at him, frightened._

_"V-Vincent, what are you-" Vincent pulled the trigger. "AHHHHHH!" Lucrecia screamed as the bullet missed her by inches. She got splattered by blood. Hojo leapt forward, eyes wide._

_"Lucrecia, are you alright!" Lucrecia nodded, trembling. She looked around and saw the remains of a centipede-like monster on the ground. She wiped some blood off her face and realized that it was the monster's._

_"Oh Vincent, you saved me!" Lucrecia ran forward and flung her arms around Vincent's neck. Vincent stood still, surprised. Hojo stiffened._

_"Um…" Vincent said. Lucrecia released him, beaming._

_"Thank you!" she said. Vincent smiled. He proceeded to kill the other creatures._

_"You're welcome Lucrecia." The monsters were all killed professionally. Vincent nodded to the SOLDIERs. "Good job. Expect pizza when we get back to Nibelheim." The men grinned and cheered. Lucrecia smiled, and wiped some more blood off her face._

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Yuffie stuck closely to Tifa. Before, she had thought that Vincent was good-looking. Now, however…well, he was frightening. Yuffie didn't dare look at the gunman. Tifa glanced at the ninja beside her. Yuffie was practically glued to Tifa's side. Her face was pale and her right hand was clutched tightly in Tifa's. Her breath was coming out faster than normal, too.

"Yuffie," Tifa said softly. Yuffie jumped. She looked around wildly.

"Wha-!" Tifa nudged Yuffie with her elbow, and Yuffie looked up.

"Yuffie, calm down," Tifa told her. Yuffie blinked slowly.

"C-calm down…?" Tifa nodded. She noticed Cloud looking at them worriedly, through the corner of her eye. The man came over.

"Tifa," he whispered into her ear, "want me to take over for now?" Tifa nodded gratefully. Yuffie's attitude had not helped her much, and Tifa's hand was growing numb from Yuffie's tight grip.

"Hey Yuffie," Cloud said gently. "Yuffs." Yuffie blinked again and tore her eyes away from the ground to look at Cloud.

"Huh? Oh, h-hi Cloud." Cloud smiled at her. He pried Yuffie's hand off Tifa's. Yuffie looked at him, confused.

"Yuffie, if you need someone by your side, Cloud'll take over for now," Tifa said quietly. She smiled. "My hand was growing quite numb there." Yuffie's eyes widened.

"Oh! Oh…I'm sorry Tifa." Tifa continued smiling.

"That's all right Yuffie. I'm gonna go ahead for now, okay?" Cloud and Yuffie nodded. Just then, Vincent strode past the trio. Yuffie let out a frightened squeak and latched onto Cloud's left arm so tightly that the swordsman winced.

"Ow…Yuffie…" Yuffie continued holding on, trying to hide behind Cloud, so that the leader's left arm was twisted behind his back. Cloud winced again and sighed, while shooting a glare at Vincent's back. He had some major calming down and comforting to do.

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Vincent walked past Cloud, Tifa, and Yuffie. He saw Tifa's worried look, Cloud's glare, and Yuffie's frightened face. He had seen Yuffie leap behind Cloud. Vincent frowned when he felt something stirring in him. Was it…guilt? Vincent's frown deepened. Why was he feeling guilt? Yuffie was a worthless piece of trash…like the rest of them. Cait Sith, with his horrible jokes. Kagome, with her idiotic cheerfulness. Barret, with his one-track mind. Cid, with his mechanical obsession and foul mouth. Sango, with her sensible mind and amazement at technology. Inuyasha, with his simply stupid brain. Miroku, with his interest in women and claims of being a priest. Red, with his logic and knowledge. Shippo, for being a dumb child. The sniper still could not figure out why he was still traveling with this group. There was Hojo and the jewel shards…but there was something else that made him stick with the group.

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Cloud was still trying to detach Yuffie from his arm, but he was having no success. Maybe poking Yuffie's tightly clenched hand while walking wasn't the best way to pry her off. And Cloud was getting a little tired.

"Hey everyone!" he shouted. Everybody stopped walked and turned to Cloud. "Er…break time," he said, while poking Yuffie. Everyone sat down and started chatting. Cloud clenched his teeth and poked Yuffie hard in the stomach. She jumped and stared at him.

"What?" Cloud smiled tightly.

"Yuffie, can you, ah…let go?" Yuffie looked at her right hand, which was gripping Cloud's arm so tightly that it was turning white.

"Oh. Sorry." She let go. Cloud rubbed his arm gingerly.

"Thanks." He smiled. "Hey, Yuffs? Would you mind if I go talk to Tifa for a minute?" Yuffie blinked.

"What? Oh no, go ahead. I'm…I'll be fine." She nodded vigorously.

"Ok." Cloud nodded, grinned briefly, and went to Tifa. Yuffie retreated into the shadows of the tall, mountain wall. She sat there and shivered. She couldn't get Vincent's words out of her head. Worthless…dumb…pathetic…filth…a mere rodent…was she, really? Was that what he really thought she was? Tears burned in Yuffie's eyes again, and she let them fall freely down her face.

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Vincent's sharp hearing picked up the sounds of crying. In spite of himself, he turned. He saw Yuffie shaking, tears falling down her face. She was sobbing silently. As he stared at her, a surge of guilt attacked his heart. Another crack appeared in the shell, larger this time. More and more cracks appeared in the stone that had enclosed his heart, as he watched the young ninja cry. Vincent felt like he must say something to her. Before he could change his mind, the sniper walked over to the girl. Yuffie stiffened at the sound of his footsteps. Rocks crunched under Vincent's boots as he crouched, in front of Yuffie.

"Yuffie…" His voice had not lost its icy coldness, but it wasn't as horrible as before. Vincent looked into Yuffie's wide, terrified, brown eyes. A wave of realization struck him, and the stone case around his heart shattered.

Vincent stared. What…what had he done? He had said all of those terrible things to Yuffie…

"W-w-w-w…wh…wh-wh…" Yuffie stuttered, terrified. Vincent's crimson eyes filled with slight horror and worry. He breathed deeply.

"Yuffie…" Vincent hesitated slightly, then plunged on. "…I am sorry." Yuffie stopped and stared at him. The word "sorry" registered itself in her head. Vincent was…what? "Yuffie, I am sorry…sorry to have said all those terrible things back at the lake. I did not know why I said them. I hope…that you can…forgive me…" Vincent murmured. Yuffie continued staring at him.

"Y-you really m-mean that?" she asked shakily. Vincent nodded. Yuffie's eyes filled with tears again. "Oh, Vincent!" Vincent looked bewilderedly at the young ninja as she started crying again.

"…Yuffie? What-?"

"VINCENT!" Vincent turned around, and Yuffie stopped crying, to see Cloud pounding towards them, livid. "Vincent, _what have you done to Yuffie_!" Cloud stopped beside Vincent, glaring at him angrily. Vincent blinked.

"…I-"

"He apologized, Cloud," Yuffie said. Cloud stared at her.

"He…he did?" Yuffie nodded. Cloud looked confused. "But…why were you crying?" Yuffie wiped her tears on the back of her hand.

"Cause I was _happy_," she explained patiently. Cloud blinked.

"Oh." Vincent stood up. He faced Cloud.

"…Cloud, I…apologize for my rudeness back at the lake," he said slowly. Cloud stared at him for a moment, then smiled.

"Hey, glad you're back. Sorry for trying to hit you." Vincent shrugged slightly.

"You were acting on Yuffie's account. It is nothing to apologize for." Tifa approached them. She glanced at Cloud and Yuffie, then turned to Vincent.

"Vincent? Would you…um…mind telling us what happened back in the waterfall?" Vincent hesitated. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, you know," she continued hastily. "But if would explain a lot if you do." Vincent gazed at the ground. Everyone had their eyes on him.

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A growl shook Lucrecia out of her reverie. She looked up and was startled to see a huge Nibel Wolf drinking from the lake. Lucrecia blinked. She thought that Nibel Wolves only lived in the areas around Nibelheim, and in the Nibel Mountains. She stood stock-still, hoping that the wolf wouldn't notice her. It caught her scent, however. The Nibel Wolf lifted its head and spotted Lucrecia standing in front of the waterfall. It growled, hungry, and lunged. Lucrecia screamed as it tackled her, and they both fell through the waterfall, into the cave Lucrecia had spent so many years in.

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A sudden jolt of panic ripped through Vincent. His head snapped up, eyes flashing wildly, as everyone looked at him, confused.

"Vincent?" Cloud asked, staring. Vincent didn't reply, but started running as fast as he could in the direction they had came from.

"Vincent!" Tifa cried. She grabbed her bags.

"Where's he going?" Kagome asked, blinking bewilderedly as she jumped onto her bicycle.

"Quick, follow him!" Cloud ordered as he grabbed his sack. Everybody started running at top speed after Vincent.

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Vincent dashed along the path, running as fast as he could. Lucrecia was in trouble. He didn't know how he knew, or why, but only one thing mattered to him at the moment. Lucrecia was in trouble. Vincent tore along the path and arrived at the lake. He sped around it and burst through the waterfall, pulling out the Silver Rifle as he entered the cave in time to see a Nibel Wolf attack Lucrecia. He pointed the gun at the wolf and in less than a second, it was dead. The wolf had been blasted against the wall. The Silver Rifle skidded across the cave floor and smashed. Lucrecia lay limply in pool of blood. Her long, brown hair was sprawled around her, wet from the waterfall and her own blood. Vincent ran over to her and knelt down. He picked her up gently and cradled her head. Lucrecia slowly opened her eyes. She blinked, and stared at the person that was holding her.

"V-Vincent…?" Vincent nodded as he gazed at her, frantic with worry.

"L-Lucrecia…what happened?" Lucrecia smiled sadly.

"I went o-out…got attacked b-by a Nibel Wolf…" Vincent stared.

"But…why did you go out?" Lucrecia reached up weakly to grasp his hand. His left hand. The claw.

"B-because…I wanted to find you. I-I'm sorry Vincent…"

"You…you tried to find m-me?" Vincent asked, surprised. Lucrecia nodded slightly.

"I wanted to apologize…you were right, Vincent. I've s-spent t-too long in this stuffy, old cave…I wanted to start a new life w-with you…if you would forgive me. I really did…" Tears leaked out of Lucrecia's eyes. "I-if it's not too late…I accept your request for marriage, Vincent." Vincent's breath came in ragged gasps as he held Lucrecia close.

"L-Lucrecia…" Lucrecia clutched his hand tightly.

"To think, all those years I longed for death, I'm finally getting my wish…but I d-don't want to die now, Vincent. I w-want to start a new life with y-you." Lucrecia smiled sadly again. "Please, Vincent…bury me close to the waterfall, out in the sunshine." Lucrecia's eyes began to cloud over. Vincent's eyes widened and he gripped her hand tightly.

"_No_! L-Lucrecia…do not die! _Do not die on me_!" Lucrecia gazed up at him.

"Vincent…let me hear you s-say a conjunction for once…" Vincent breathed heavily. He clutched Lucrecia tighter.

"D-don't die Lucrecia…don't die. I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Vincent," Lucrecia said, as she smiled at Vincent one last time. "Promise not to mope over me when I'm gone. And please…kiss me one last time." Vincent lowered his head and pressed his lips onto hers. She sighed softly as she drew her last breath. "Vincent…I…love…you…" Lucrecia's hand went limp and she slumped against Vincent, dead.

At that moment, AVALANCHE and the Inuyasha-tachi burst through the waterfall, into the cave. Their gazes went from the dead wolf, to Vincent's smashed gun, and to Vincent holding Lucrecia, on the floor.

"Vincent?" Tifa asked softly. Vincent…didn't reply. He got up. Everyone was shocked to see tears running down Vincent's face. No way. Vincent _never_ cried. Vincent ignored all of them and walked out of the cave. Everyone took note of the dead woman in his arms. They all followed.

Vincent placed Lucrecia's body gently on the ground. He knelt down and started digging. Cloud, Inuyasha, and co watched him silently. They would've offered to help him, but they knew that Vincent wanted to bury the woman by himself. After Vincent had dug a large hole that was two to three feet deep, he lined it with fresh leaves from a nearby bush. Then, he laid the body of Lucrecia onto the leaves. Yuffie wondered who the dead woman was. Then she realized something. The woman was wearing a white lab coat.

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Whew, done with this chapter! This will _not_ be a Yuffietine, in case anyone's wondering. I nearly cried when I read the Lucrecia dying part. I don't know if anyone thinks that it's sad, but I do. -sniff- Well, at least you all know how these two chaps tie in with the plot…I hope. Oh yes, and the reason why Vincent didn't cure Lucrecia is because he couldn't. His gun smashed, so he couldn't use the materia, and he didn't have his item inventory with him at the moment. Very sadly so. UU Next chapter: Chapter 16 - The Holy Mountain in the Mist. **REVIEW**! Pretty please. -makes the sad puppy face- (you know you can't resist. ) 


	16. The Holy Mountain in the Mist

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of Final Fantasy VII or Inuyasha. All characters, weapons, ect. are copyrighted their maker (Squaresoft, Rumiko Takashi, and anybody else). Only the storyline crossover belongs to me. Blah blah blah…

Heya guys! Wow, I haven't updated in like…ages and ages. I'm sorry…it's just that my Inuyasha obsession had died (so long ago), so I don't really like this story that much anymore, now that I look at it. I know that that isn't really an excuse though, so gomen ne! I actually considered just letting this fanfic completely die out, but then I saw all the reviews from the wonderful readers and suddenly had inspiration to type up the next chapter (which I had written a long time ago). I'll _try_ to finish the fic. It's just that this fic will be going on frequent "hibernations", like long periods of not updating.

But, on a side note, please read my sort-of-new SasukexSakura fanfiction, **Broken Typography**. I've also written a oneshot tribute to the -spoiler- event in chapter 328 of the Naruto manga, so those who have read that chapter should know what I'm talking about. The tribute story is called **Trailing Fumes**. But, enough of my ramblings, here's the next chapter!

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Chapter 16 - The Holy Mountain in the Mist

Vincent stood up slowly and covered the grave. Tifa thought that it looked plain and bare without anything on it. Vincent seemed to be looking for something to mark the grave. Tifa dug through her sack and found the roses she had picked from a wild rosebush. She approached Vincent's back and tapped him on the shoulder. She handed the flowers silently to the sniper. He nodded his thanks and laid the roses gently onto the grave. Vincent bowed his head and stood in front of the grave for a couple of minutes. After whispering a "I love you Lucrecia. Goodbye." so softly that nobody else could hear it, Vincent turned around. Everybody stared at him.

"Um…" Cloud rubbed his neck unconsciously. "Vince? Er…what just happened?" Vincent didn't answer and examined the metal claws on his left hand.

"Vincent?" Tifa prodded. "I know that is probably very personal, but we need an explanation. I mean…well, you act all weird, then apologize, then dash off suddenly, then smash your gun accidentally while killing a monster, then...bury someone." Vincent continued staring at his left hand.

"…someone I loved dearly died." Yuffie's eye widened slightly.

"That woman…was she…was she…Lucrecia?" the ninja asked softly. Vincent looked up from his hand to Yuffie. His expression was quite unfathomable.

"Yes." Tifa glanced at Vincent, then Yuffie.

"Didn't you mention her when we found you?" Vincent nodded slightly. Yuffie flushed, remembering the clipped, short tale that Vincent had said to them. The tale which Yuffie had proclaimed as the "number one boring story". Maybe it wasn't so boring after all…

"As I have told you all before (meaning AVALANCHE, not counting Cid), Lucrecia was a scientists. She assisted Hojo in experiments. There was one experiment concerning her. She was to have a baby, and the baby was to have Jenova cells injected into it from the moment it was born. Lucrecia…agreed to the experiment. Hojo had lied to her about letting her raise the baby. The baby grew up without its biological mother. I tried to stop Hojo…"

"But you got shot and experimented on," Red finished for the gunman, looking sad. Vincent sighed.

"After I was experimented on, I had no idea of the events of the outside world, until you all came along and woke me up. I had no idea what had happened to Lucrecia…until Yuffie pushed me through the waterfall. It turns out that Lucrecia had retreated into the cave to spend the rest of her life, thinking that I and anyone else she was close to were dead…including her son…"

"What happened after that?" Cloud asked curiously.

"…I tried to make her see reason. She told me to leave. Then I came back when I knew that she was in trouble…somehow." Vincent ended the sentence in a flat tone that indicated that he had divulged enough information and would not say anymore. Cloud nodded.

"Thanks for explaining to us, Vincent."

"Uh…I didn't get it," Inuyasha said dumbly. Kagome nudged him.

"You don't have to get it, only they do." She meant AVALANCHE.

"I didn't get it either…but I won't say anythin'," said Cid, holding up his hands and backing away hastily as Vincent looked at him.

"Alright guys his fallen materia. "Let's mosey."

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The group trekked until nightfall. They settled out on the wide, open plains. Everyone put down their belongings.

"You know…we should set a guard. Maybe two people at once. The plains are more dangerous than the forests," Cloud said, frowning. "I'll take first watch. Anyone care to join me?" Tifa smiled and nodded. "Alright, so Tifa and I'll watch for the first two hours. Inuyasha and Kagome, you guys watch the second two hours. Yuffie and Sango, you guys watch the third two hours. Er…who's gonna take the last two hours?"

"I will," Vincent said quietly. "I do not need anyone to accompany me." Cloud nodded.

"Right, thanks. So, uh, someone start a fire." Cait Sith did, with his fire materia. Tifa tried to make something out of their provisions. Cloud stood up. "I'm gonna go take a walk," he said. Surprisingly, Miroku also got up.

"Would you mind if I come with you?" he asked. Cloud shook his head. Both men walked away from the camp. "We're close to the ocean," the monk commented.

"Yeah," Cloud agreed. They walked on in silence for a while. Then, Cloud spoke. "Hey, how old are you?" Miroku blinked.

"Me? I'm twenty years old. You?" Cloud smiled.

"Twenty-one. I'm older than you."

"Ah, but by only one year. It's not _that_ much," Miroku returned. Cloud grinned at him.

"Yeah it is. Think of how much you can do in one year." Miroku nodded.

"That's true." They walked on for another moment.

"Hey…how exactly did Naraku...ah...put that wind tunnel in your hand?" Cloud asked. Miroku looked at Cloud, surprised.

"The wind tunnel? Naraku cursed my grandfather with it. It is passed down through the males in the family. My father was the only male in his family, as am I. The wind tunnel swallowed up my father…and eventually, it will swallow me up, if I don't get rid of it." Cloud looked shocked.

"Oh…why did Naraku curse your grandfather with it?" Miroku shrugged.

"I don't know…my grandfather probably defied Naraku," he answered. Cloud lapsed into silence, thinking about this. Was it true? Could Naraku really be that devious? The two men had been walking for about ten minutes, when Cloud spotted a fire up ahead.

"Look," he muttered to Miroku. They approached the fire. A man in his mid-forties was sitting in front of it, lost in thought. He looked up as Cloud and Miroku walked to him.

"Hello," he said, smiling. The two young men smiled back.

"Hi," Cloud said, as Miroku replied with a hello.

"Please, sit down," the man said, gesturing to the ground beside him. Cloud and Miroku sat down. "I'm Dan," the man said.

"I'm Cloud," Cloud introduced.

"I'm Miroku." Miroku nodded. Dan gazed into the fire for a few seconds.

"So, what brings you two into these parts?" Dan asked. Cloud shrugged.

"Oh, nothing really. Just traveling. What about you?" Dan sighed.

"I'm heading for Rocket Town. I just left Icicle Town."

"Huh? Why?" Cloud asked, as Miroku looked confused. Dan sighed again.

"A barrier's risen up on the Northern Continent. It's not exactly a physical barrier, but it makes many people uncomfortable. It also kills monsters. It seems to be a physical barrier for them. I once saw a monster hit something invisible and simply disintegrate. I could walk through whatever the monster couldn't, though."

"A barrier?" Cloud asked sharply. "On the Northern Continent?"

"It might be a holy barrier," Miroku said slowly. Cloud and Miroku stood up.

"We need to check it out," Cloud said to Miroku. Miroku nodded.

"Let's go back and tell everyone else." Dan looked confused.

"Wha-…?" Cloud turned to him.

"Thanks for the info Dan. We have to go back to our camp now," he said. Dan blinked…then nodded.

"You're welcome. If you want to get to the Northern Continent, use my boat. It's docked not far from here. Goodbye!" The two men bade their farewells, and walked back to their camp.

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"Guys!" Cloud yelled as he and Miroku approached the camp.

"Oh, you guys are back!" Kagome exclaimed. Tifa smiled.

"The food's ready," she said. "You guys are on time. Did your noses lead you back?" Cloud laughed.

"Nope, just a coincidence, I suppose."

"Get it hot while it's ready!" Yuffie sang. She grabbed a warm sandwich.

"We found out something," Cloud said as he sat down and accepted a sandwich from Tifa. Barret looked up.

"Huh? What?" the big man asked. Cloud chewed slowly, then swallowed.

"Miroku and I met someone on our walk. The man is going to Rocket Town. He came from Icicle Town. He left because a kind of barrier had sprung up on the Northern Continent."

"A barrier?" Inuyasha asked sharply.

"Yes," Miroku replied. "I'm guessing that it is a holy barrier, because demons disintegrate when they touch it, but humans can pass right through it."

"A holy barrier?" Sango repeated.

"Well, who's the damned person that's puttin' up this #!$!& barrier?" Cid asked impatiently. Cloud shrugged.

"Don't know. The man didn't say much. He didn't know much, actually. We're gonna go there to investigate. There might be jewel shards there, for all we know."

"How are we going to get to Icicle Town though?" Cait Sith asked doubtfully. "We can hardly swim across the ocean."

"It's not that far from here. The guy said that we could use his boat," Cloud answered. Cid sniffed slightly.

"My baby…the Highwind. If only she was here!" he growled.

"Well, it can't be helped old man," Yuffie told him. Cid glared at her.

"Right, so get some sleep. We're waking up early tomorrow," Cloud said, yawning. "Come on Tifa, we have to take the first two hours of night shift." Tifa nodded and went over to him, next to the fire. Everyone else climbed into their sleeping bags. Soon, they all fell asleep. Cloud and Tifa sat in silence as they gazed into the flames.

"Cloud," Tifa said softly. He looked at her.

"Yeah?" Tifa shifted uncomfortably. She stared at the fire.

"Cloud…would…would you risk your life to save me, if I was in danger?" Cloud was startled by the question.

"Huh? Why do you ask, Tifa?" he questioned. Tifa frowned and looked up at him.

"I-I just want to know," she replied. Cloud thought for a moment.

"Of course," he answered. "You're my friend, Tifa. My best friend."

"That's it?" Tifa thought, pained. "Just a best friend?" Tifa turned her head away slightly, trying to hold back tears.

"What about you, Tifa? Would you risk your life for me?"

"Of course," Tifa said in a choked voice. "I would risk anything for you, Cloud." Cloud turned to stare at Tifa. She had her head turned away, so that he couldn't see her face. He frowned.

"Tifa? Are you alright?" Cloud asked softly. Tifa grimaced.

"No! No, I'm not alright Cloud! Can't you see? Can't you see that I love you?!" her mind screamed. "I…I'm fine," Tifa said, forcing out the words and trying to sound calm.

"Tifa?" Cloud rested his hand on her shoulder. A shudder went through Tifa's body. "Tifa? Look at me." Tifa rubbed her eyes, then turned to face Cloud. She put on a fake smile.

"What, Cloud?" Tifa's voice was overly-bright.

"Were…were you _crying_?" Cloud asked, peering into her face.

"What? No, why?" Tifa kept the fake smile plastered on her face.

"Well…your eyes are red-rimmed, and you have tear tracks on your face," Cloud said. Tifa laughed softly. Her laugh sounded hollow and a bit too bright.

"Oh, you must be imagining things!" She rubbed her face. "No wetness, see?" Cloud looked at her doubtfully, thought he didn't persist.

"Ok…if you say so. But, Tifa…if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me," Cloud said earnestly. Tifa smiled, and this time, it looked slightly pained.

"Alright…thanks Cloud," she said. Cloud stole another glance at her as he pretended to be staring into the fire. Tifa's face looked sad and troubled. Cloud had a nagging feeling that Tifa's sadness had something to do with him, but Tifa didn't want to talk. He wouldn't push her.

Tifa felt like bursting into tears. A best friend. She was _just a best friend_. Nothing more. Cloud didn't love her. He wouldn't risk his life for her because he loved her that way. He would risk his life for her as a friend, a brother. A brother…

"I don't want to be your _sister_!" Tifa screamed inside. "I want to be your wife! Your lover! I love you! I love you!" Tears started flowing from her eyes. She hurriedly wiped them away, but more came. She tried to stay silent, but her body shook and she made sniffling sounds when she breathed. A warm hand touched her shoulder again.

"Tifa? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Cloud's voice asked. Tifa gulped.

"I-I'm n-not-"

"I know you're crying Tifa." Cloud wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her towards him. He turned her around and gazed into her face. He pushed some of her hair behind her left ear. "Tell me, Tifa," Cloud whispered. "Tell me what's wrong." Tifa squeezed her eyes shut for a moment…then burst into tears, her crying muffled by Cloud's chest.

"Oh C-Cloud…it's just…I…I…" Tifa cried some more. Cloud patted her back gently. He burrowed his face into her hair.

"Just tell me, Tifa. What's wrong?" Cloud asked in a soft, soothing voice. Tifa gasped for breath.

"Oh Cloud, it's just…I…I l-…I can't tell you." Tifa pushed her away from the blonde. Cloud looked bewilderedly at her.

"Tifa?" he asked, confused. Tifa just turned away.

"Please don't ask me anymore," she said quietly. Cloud started to protest.

"I-!" He stopped and sighed. "Alright, Tifa." He turned and stared back at the flames, contemplating about Tifa's strange behavior.

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AVALANCHE and the Inuyasha-tachi ate a quick breakfast the next morning. They packed up and headed for the boat. Miroku glanced at the ashes of Dan's camp.

"Hm, looks like he left," the monk observed. Cloud nodded.

"Hey, is that the boat?" Kagome called out, pointing at a large canoe-like boat docked at the edge of the small cliff. Everyone ran to it.

"Aww, that can only fit five normal-sized people!" Yuffie groaned.

"The man we met yesterday must've had others with him," Cloud commented.

"Whaddya mean, normal-sized?" Barret asked Yuffie. She looked at him.

"Well…you count as two!" Barret glared at her.

"Then you count as half!" Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey hey, knock it off," Cid grumbled. "We need to figure out how to get all of us across this damned ocean. If only we had my baby…or the Tiny Bronco." Sango cut into the conversation.

"Kirara can carry three people." The cat nodded and transformed into her full form. "I'll travel on her."

"I will too," Miroku decided. Kagome looked from the boat to Kirara.

"I'll ride," she said slowly. "But…what about Inuyasha?"

"There aren't any things for me to jump off," the hanyo said, looking at the ocean as though it had done him some sort of wrong.

"There's a small peninsula that's around thirty minutes away. We can ride there with five people, and come back for the rest," Red suggested. Tifa frowned.

"But that'll still take a long time," she objected. "Thirty minutes to get there, thirty minutes to come back, then thirty minutes to go there? That'll take one hour and a half!"

"What'll we do?" Yuffie wailed.

"I can ride on Kirara too! I'm small," Shippo said. Cait Sith perked up.

"Oh, you guys can fasten my mog with a rope to the back of the boat! It can float." He hopped excitedly. Cloud smiled.

"Great, Cait Sith! So, I'll go in the boat."

"I'll too," Tifa said.

"Me too," Barret butted in.

"Hey, you take up two people!" Yuffie grumbled. Barret glared at her again.

"Well, you only take up half a person! So you can fit in, and we'll probably be able to squeeze in one more person." They all looked at Cid, Vincent, and Inuyasha.

"Er…so which one of you will ride in the boat?" Miroku asked. Inuyasha crossed his arms and scowled. Vincent stared at them blankly. Cid puffed on his cigarette and frowned.

"Not riding," Inuyasha said. Vincent simply shrugged.

"I…don't are," he said emotionlessly. Cid blinked.

"Um…" He looked at the boat. "Er…"

"Inuyasha, how'll you get across the ocean?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"I…" Inuyasha gazed at the ocean. "I'll make a raft. It'll only hold one person though." He glared at Vincent and Cid.

"A raft should be fine," Cloud said. "The ocean waters around here are pretty mild, plus it's summer now, so the waters are perfectly calm." Vincent frowned for a moment.

"I'll swim," he decided. Everyone stared at him.

"You'll _swim_?" Yuffie repeated, still staring.

"We have to travel for a long time," Tifa told him.

"…I know."

Cloud frowned. "Can you last that long? How about…uh…you swim for the first ten minutes, then I'll swim for ten minutes so you can rest in the boat, then you can swim the remainder of the way?" he offered. Vincent didn't speak for a moment.

"…thanks," he said, after a moment's hesitation.

"Well, that leaves me to the empty boat space then!" Cid declared.

"Hey! What about me?" Everyone started and looked at Red. They had completely forgotten about him. He looked at them all, and sighed. "I suppose I can swim too."

"What about that flame on your tail, though?" Kagome pointed out.

"Oh, that? That's not a normal flame; nothing'll happen to it."

"Oh." Kagome blinked. Cloud got into the boat.

"Well, come on guys. Let's mosey."

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They arrived at the shores of the Northern Continent, near Icicle Town. They could see the roofs of the houses peeking over the top of a mountain wall. Miroku frowned.

"There is an aura here," he murmured. "It's very faint…"

"Yeah, something feels weird here," Inuyasha said. His ears twitched.

"I feel funny Kagome," Shippo mumbled. "I'm kinda dizzy…" They all walked towards Icicle Two. Kirara suddenly reverted back to her small form and mewed pitifully.

"Oh, Kirara." Sango picked the kitten up and held her in her arms. As they arrived at the town, Shippo fell over.

"Shippo!" Kagome picked him up.

"Ugh…I feel really dizzy Kago…me…" He continued to groan. Inuyasha frowned deeply and stopped walking. "Inuyasha, do you feel what Shippo's feeling?" Kagome asked him, turning around. Inuyasha nodded.

"Red, Cait, do you guys feel anything?" They shook their heads.

"I suppose I'm not a demon," Red said slowly.

"I'm a toy!" Cait Sith said cheerfully. Tifa glanced back at Vincent.

"Vincent, do you feel anything?" Vincent didn't answer for a moment. Then, he nodded slightly.

"It's a holy barrier," Miroku stated.

"HA! I was right about you!" Inuyasha exclaimed to Vincent, despite the uncomfortable feeling the barrier was giving him. Kagome sighed.

"At a time like this, you still have to gloat."

"Well, we'd better check out this town," Cloud said. "I'll buy some supplies." Everyone headed a different direction.

Vincent entered the weapon shop. He need a new gun, after the Sniper CR and the Silver Rifle were destroyed. He spotted a beautiful, fourteen-inch, two-barrel gun on display. He looked at the handle of the gun. The name "Lariat" was engraved into the wood. Vincent walked up to the counter. A little girl shook the old man beside her awake.

"Grandpa, we have a customer!" she said happily. The old man came awake.

"Hmmf, ugh, huh? Oh, hello there! What would you like to buy?" he asked rather energetically for an old man. Vincent nodded towards the gun on display. "Oh! The Lariat? A fine choice!" He shuffled over and unlocked the case. He then took out the gun and re-locked the case. "Would you like it wrapped?"

"…no, I will take it like this," Vincent replied. The old man nodded, and handed the gun to Vincent.

"That will be twelve thousand gil, please." Vincent took out his gil inventory and fished out twelve thousand gil from his private stock. The group and Vincent's gil had swelled from Vincent's encounter with the twohundred demons and monsters last time. The team now had over one hundred-thousand gil, and Vincent had sixty thousand gil in his private stock. He handed the gil to the man and left the shop without another word, brushing past Cloud, who had just entered the shop.

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"Brrr…" Tifa's teeth chattered as she entered the clothes shop with Kagome, Sango, and Yuffie. "W-we really n-need to b-buy some c-clothes," she said.

"Yeah! The N-Northern Continent is just c-covered with f-freaking, _freezing_ snow!" Yuffie chattered.

"Oh!" Kagome spotted a nice, brown, puffy cotton coat. She tried it on. "Mmm, this is warm." Tifa picked up a dark, olive-green, soft, water-proof coat. It was stuffed with feathers.

"How much is it?" she asked Kagome, examining the coat in her own hands.

"Um…" Kagome checked the price tag. "It's five hundred ninety gil."

"That's an okay price. Buy it if you want, and you have to find some pants," Tifa said as she tried the green coat on. "Oh, I love this coat!" She looked at the price tag. "Whoa, it's eight hundred gil!" Tifa paused for a moment. 'Well, I'm sure Cloud won't mind…too much."

Yuffie picked up a big, puffy, white jacket. "Heehee, hopefully not Tifa." She grinned. "I'm gonna get this one! It's seven hundred thirty-two gil."

"Um…" Sango went over to a light grey, long, baggy jacket. She put it on. "This is nice…it's six hundred gil."

Yuffie turned to her. "Ooh, get it!" Tifa looked around.

"We'll all need pants, except for Sango, unless she wants a pair."

"I'm fine; I don't need pants," Sango said, shaking her head. Tifa chose a pair of black sweats to replace her black mini-skirt. Yuffie picked out a pair of white, baggy pants with silver buckles. Kagome chose a pair of light, olive-green jeans. Tifa also took a pair of high-heeled snow boots (the thick-heeled kinds) for Sango.

"We'd better buy three pairs of the same pants," Tifa told the others. They nodded. In the end, the total cost came out to be three thousand, nine hundred twenty-two gil. Yuffie gulped.

"I hope Cloud won't yell."

Tifa huffed. "He'd better not! Just because the guys can strut around in the cold and not die of hypothermia doesn't mean we can." The group of girls hauled their bags into the Inn.

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"Do you know the cause of the strangeness around this area?" Miroku asked the innkeeper. The innkeeper shrugged.

"Nope. It just happened a week ago. There have been rumors that the barrier came from a mountain , though. It makes me feel…weird. Not uncomfortable. More like…I don't know, air-headed?"

Miroku nodded. "Thank you for the information." He turned around in time to see Tifa, Kagome, Yuffie, and Sango walk into the Inn, loaded with bags.

"Oh, hi Miroku!" they all said at once. Miroku blinked.

"Uh…hi. My my, you ladies have bought quite a lot," he commented. Cid, Barret, Cait Sith, Shippo, Red, and Inuyasha suddenly came into the Inn.

"Oh. Hi," was what Cid offered as a greeting. The rest said their salutations. Then, Vincent entered the Inn. Everyone noticed that he was wielding a new, two-barrel gun. The sniper nodded his greeting. The door burst open one more time to reveal Cloud. He strode into the room, still wearing his normal clothes.

"Hey everyone!" Cloud looked around the room and saw the girls carrying large bags. "Whoa!" he said, eyes bulging. "What did you guys _get_?" Tifa flushed.

"Um…three pairs of pants for me, Yuffie, and Kagome. We all got a coat, and Sango got a pair of boots, since she can't really walk around in the snow wearing sandals."

Cloud gaped at her, his mouth open. "T-th-th-_three_ pairs of pants and a coat each? How much did you _spend_?!" Tifa looked uncomfortable.

"Eh…three thousand, nine hundred twenty-two gil."

"WHAT?!" Cloud yelped. Tifa glared at him defiantly.

"Hey, we can't run around in this freezing, crazy weather like you without dying from hypothermia, you know!" she retorted. Cloud shrunk back.

"Er…ok, fine," he admitted, defeated. Tifa smiled, satisfied. "So," Cloud continued. 'I've bought some more potions, ethers, and hi-potions." He looked around. "Anyone find out any information about the barrier?" Cid shrugged.

"Nope. Barret, Red, Cait Sith, and i didn't find a friggin' damned thing."

"Um…well, we were shopping," Tifa said, when Cloud looked at her.

"Yes," Miroku said, when Cloud turned his attention to him. "It seems that the holy barrier merely causes innocent humans and non-demons light-headedness. It appeared about a week ago, and there have been rumors that say that the barrier's main core is a mountain…that it originated from a mountain."

"…my sources have also said that," Vincent said quietly. "I have found out that the mountain is supposedly a holy mountain. It is said that if you are buried there, you will be cleansed of all sins."

"Really?" asked Barret. "So…if Rufus was buried there, he would still be all sin-free?" Vincent nodded. "WHAT?!" Barret exploded. "Well, let's hope that that damned Rufus doesn't get his skinny rat's ass onto that mountain after he dies, or-!" Barret broke off, coughing.

"Barret?" Tifa bent over the large man, who was on the floor, still coughing. Miroku frowned.

"It seems that the barrier is strong," he said. "Any impure thoughts or comments, even from innocent humans, will affect us negatively."

"Dammit," Barret mumbled. Red looked up.

"Have you found out anything, Cloud?" he asked. Cloud smiled.

"Yep," he replied. "Vincent's and Miroku's findings confirm my information."

"Huh? What did you find out?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Well," Cloud began. "You see…this lone traveler was lingering near the forest next to Icicle Town. He said that he was from a village near a mountain. He had felt a strangeness about a week ago, which had suddenly emitted from the mountain. Since the barrier was so strong, the man couldn't really succeed in anything because of the light-headedness, so he left. He told me the mountain that he used to live at…the mountain that is the cause of this barrier…" Everyone looked eagerly at Cloud.

"What is this mountain?" Miroku asked. Cloud paused.

"It's called…Mt. Hakurei," he answered.

* * *

I don't really like the writing skills I had when I wrote this story. -gasp- Vincent is using some conjunctions! Remember, Lucrecia wanted him to use some, so he's doing it because of her, although she's dead. Man…this story was supposed to have Cloris in it, but then I decided that I would make it Cloti in the very end. However…some really rude/mean rabid Clotis ticked me off, so now I don't know if I want to make it Cloti anymore. Ugh…

I'm so weird; I dislike InuyashaxKagome and I put InuyashaxKagome in this story. I dislike Cloti and now I'm contemplating about putting Cloti in this story! What's next, Yuffietine? oO

Anyways, I know that Vincent was sort of out of character in this chapter. Sorry!

Please review. Thanks!


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